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THE AMERICAN FARMER'S 

HORSE BOOK 

A PICTORIAL CYCLOPEDIA 



FACTS CONCERNING THE PROMINENT BREEDS, PRINCIPLES OP BREEDING, BEST METHODS 
OF TRAINING, STABLE MANAGEMENT, GENERAL CARE, ETC., 

WITH SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS 

HOW TO BUY AND HOW TO SELL, 

INCLUDING A SERIES OF 

INVALUABLE OBJECT-LESSONS ON CONFORMATIONS, POINTS OF THE HORSE, AND HOW TO 

DETECT UNSOUNDNESS OR VICE, 

AND ESPECIALLY 

DESCHIBING ^LIv KNOWN DISEilSES 

TO WHICH THE HORSE IS SUBJECT: 

THEIR CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, PREVENTION AND CURE, HOW TO BE DISCRIMINATED, THE 
SURGICAL OPERATIONS REQUIRED, HYGIENIC CARE, ETC. 

THE WHOLE VERT FULLY ILLUSTRATED AND GIVEN IN 

PLAIN, SIMPLE LANGUAGE, FREE FROM TECHNICALITIES, BUT SCIENTIFICALLY 
CORRECT, AND PRESCRIBING 

REMEDIES READILY OBTAINED AND EASILY APPLIED 
Expressly Prepared for the Successful and Profitable Use 

OF THE 

AMERICAN FARMER AND HORSE OWNEl 



BY 




•^W 25 18^2 

ANDREW pARLINO, D. V>^^,c ^.^,„..e.^3i- 
sT. louis, mo., '--. _^ ... '--^ 

Graduate of the Veterinary Department of McGill University, Montreal; Honorary Felloiv of the Montreal . 
Veterinary Medical Association, and of the Society for the Study of Comparative Psychology; Member 
of the U. S. Veterinary Medical Association; Author of " Vices and Unsoundnesses of the 

Horse;" Veterinary Editor of the "Journal of Agriculture" etc. . — ■ >^ • 



WITH OVER 300 HIGHLY INSTRUCTIVE ENGRAVINGS, 

Many of them Executed for this Work from Actual Photographs. 



ST. LOUIS, MO. : 

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE CO., Publishers, 
1120 Pine Street. , 

\ - \ ^ ' ■ • 



[Copyriglit, Is6«, by C. F. Vent & Co.] 



Entered, according to Act of Congress in tlie year ]892, by 

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE CO., 

In tlie Office of tlie Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



5^ 






TO 

THE FARMERS OF AMERICA 

TO WHOSE NOBLEST AND MOST USEFUL SERVITOR ITS PAGES ARE 

DEVOTED, AND IN WHOSE ESPECIAL INTEREST IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN, 

THIS VOLUME IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED BY 

THE PUBLISHERS. 



PUBLISHERS PREFACE. 



The aim of this book is defined by its title. That it is comprehen- 
sive in detail, the Table of Contents will show. That the subjects 
treated are intimately and vitally associated with the best interest and 
success of every horse owner will likewise appear. That these sub- 
jects are practically treated, so as to contribute to this end, it is con- 
fidently believed their study and application will demonstrate. If 
any further guarantee on these points is necessary, it is furnished in 
the professional training, character and wide experience of the dis- 
tinguished author. A life devoted to the study of the horse — to 
veterinary practice, and to editorial work in that interest — has given 
him rare qualifications for so important a task. He here opens a 
bountiful storehouse of knowledge for the horse owner, and negli- 
gence alone is barred from its use. To lessen popular ignorance; to 
bring the best knowledge of that noble animal, the horse, within the 
reach of all ; to make every farmer acquainted with such facts as can 
be profitably used, — this has been his high aim. In brief, yet simple 
and comprehensive language, he has condensed in one book what all 
should be familiar with regarding the horse. It is accomplished in 
one volume of such size that all can use it. 

Dr. Darling's strength, and his great popularity as a veterinary 
writer, are mainly due to his being a thorough student from a prac- 
tical standpoint. It is confidently believed that in no other work ever 
prepared for the great mass of readers can there be found equally 
clear and lucid descriptions of the diseases, etc., to which the horse 
is subject, and the means of making a correct diagnosis of each; and, 
especially, how to discriminate accurately between different diseases 
which in their symptoms are perplexingly similar. The importance 

VII 



VIII PUBLISHERS PREFACE. 

of such discrimination is often equaled only by its difficulty. By the 
use of this volume the difficulty will, in large measure, be removed. 

A like pre-eminence belongs to this the author's latest work, as 
regards the insight which it gives the ordinary reader into what might 
be termed the philosophy of disease and cure — the origin, process 
and results of unhealthy conditions, and in what way certain remedies 
may be relied on to work beneficially. The advantages accruing from 
this practical knowledge cannot be understood fully, short of an 
actual and extended use of this work in the care and treatment of 
stock ; yet the reader will be struck with them on even a casual read- 
ing. Chapters XIV and XXIII, for instance, well illustrate aiid en- 
force these facts. 

The tried and approved method of Ohject- Teaching — of instructing 
through the eye, as well as by printed word — has been utilized 
throughout. The value of correct Object-Lessons in elucidating 
written or spoken words is now so well established that the system 
has been generally adopted, not only in the better examples of suc- 
cessful books and journals, but also in our common schools, academies 
and colleges. Hence, no apology is offered for introducing here 
what the most successful instructors have advocated and practiced. 
While adding immensely to the expense of producing a book (single 
illustrations often costing hundreds of dollars), by this method the 
reader can see at a glance what would take pages of written matter 
to explain ; and, besides, what might otherwise be dull reading be- 
comes a pleasure, and the mind more permanently retains what has 
been impressed upon the eye. 

In preparing this work, the effort throughout has been to present 
information not general!}^ attainable, except through the study of 
many books — to give the thoughts and experience of the best minds, 
when they conform to modern practice — and this with the least ver- 
biage possible. 

A study of these pages will enable any one to ascertain the age of a 

horse, and accurately judge his characteristics and adaptability to 

pecific or needed purposes, and to determine his value. The subject 



PUBLISHERS PREFACE, IX 

of training, as here elucidated by a master of the subject, will be 
found practical and especially valuable. Kind and gentle methods 
have been advocated in every department, as being the most profit- 
able, as well as most humane. 

Special painstaking has been devoted to giving the causes produc- 
ing disease, so that knowing the cause the disease may be obviated. 
Prevention is better than cure, and this fact is duly emphasized. 
When the services of a skilled veterinary surgeon are required, it 
has been candidly advised, and care has been taken to distinguish 
between popular treatment and that requiring scientific and skillful 
management. 

In prescribing remedies, the preference has invariably been given to 
those within reach of the ordinary farmer — remedies such as any one 
can procure, prepare and easily administer. In like manner, unfamiliar 
words and technical phrases have been avoided, as far as was possible, 
consistent with scientific accuracy of statement. Clearness and con- 
ciseness of expression have been carefully consulted, and, to further 
conduce to a correct understanding, an elaborate glossary has been 
appended, thoroughly explanatory of the meaning of every word in 
the book not familiar to every-day life. 

To the Hon. Jonathan Periam the credit is wholly due for the first 
eleven chapters. This veteran writer needs no introduction to an 
American public. In the capacity of author and journalist his con- 
stituency has, for more than a quarter of a century, been the whole 
American people — his name everywhere a household word. Nor is it 
confined to the limits of our own country ; former books, the product 
of his pen, have reached the phenomenal sale of 100,000 copies be- 
yond the confines of the American continent. His practical work has 
thus won its way to every English-speaking people, and his reputa- 
tion, as an authority on the horse, is the very highest. 

In like manner, to Major E. B. Abercrombie is due the credit for 
the final portion on trotting and racing horses, and their develop- 
ment. As an authority on this branch of the subject, his facile pen 



X PUBLISHERS PREFACE. 

has long been employed in the editorial columns of those well-known 

periodicals, "The Horseman" and "The Spirit of the Times." 

Believing that it has unusual claims to popular favor, and that it 

will conduce to the knowledge, success and pleasure of all who may 

consult its pages and will be governed by its teachings, this volume is 

submitted, with pride as well as confidence, to the consideration of 

the public. 

THE PUBLISHEES. 



[Note. — The copyright and plates of "The American Farmer's Horse Book," 
by Robert Stewart, M. D., V. S., which was published in 1866, are owned by the 
publishers of the present work. It must be understood that Dr. Darling's is an en- 
tirely new work, much more thorough, and embodying all that is useful in the very 
latest researches in veterinary science.] 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

HORSES FOR LABOR. 



Page. 
I. Whence Our Horses Came. — II. The Hunting Horse. — ^III. The Hack- 
ney. — IV. Carriage Horses. — V. English Draft Horses. — VI. The Suf- 
folk Punch. — VII. The Clydesdale Horse.— VIII. The English Cart- 
horse.— IX. The Flemish Horse.— X. French Draft Horses.— XI. The 
Percheron Horse.— XII. The French Coach Horse. — XHI. Hanoverian 
and German Coach Horses 33 

CHAPTER II. 

THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTING HORSES. 

I. The Thoroughbred a Composite Horse. — II. External Points. — lU. Vary- 
ing Standard for Different Breeds. — IV. The Head and Neck. — V. The 
Fore Quarters. — VI. The Trotting Horse the Only Breed Distinctively 
American. — VII. Wide Diffusion of His Blood. — VIII. History Outlined. 
— IX. Trotting Events in the Period of Development. — X. Breeding and 
Training the Key-note 47 

CHAPTER III. 

THE BREEDING OF HORSES. 

I. How Excellence is Attained. — II. Importance of Exercise to Breeding 
Animals.— III. The Law of Similarity.— IV. Careful Study the Key to 
Success. — V. Breed to the End Sought.— VI. About Form and Proportion. 
— VII. The Points to be Studied are Many. — VIII. Importance of Accu- 
rate Knowledge. — IX. Stonehenge's Laws of Generation 57 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE HORSE AT REST AND IN MOTION. 

I. The Horse's Attitude in Standing. — II. Mode of Progression. — III. The 
Walk.— IV. Good and Bad Walkers.— V. The Trot.— VL The Can- 
ter.— VII. The Hand Gallop.— VIII. The Extended or True Gallop.— IX. 

How to Judge a Horse , 67 

XI 



XII TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER V. 

HYGIENE, FOODS AND EXERCISE. 

I. Practical Value of Hygienic Knowledge. — II. About Perfect Foods and 
Shelter. — III. The Horse's Stomach and Digestion. — IV. Oats. — V. 
Hay.— VI. Straw.— VII. Green Forage.— VIII. Corn.— IX. Artificial 
and Condimenial Foods. — X. What Constitutes Good Care. — XI. Good 
Shelter is True Economy. — XII. Exercise is Indispensable. — XIII. Com- 
fortable Bedding. — XIV. Cleaning the Horse. — XV. Keep the Stable 
Clean 81 

CHAPTER VI. 

STABLE CAKE, AVATER AND MANAGEMENT. 

I. The Use and Abuse of Water. — II. Horses Like Clean Water. — III. Use 
Common Sense. — IV. Cleaning the Limbs. — V. Curry Comb and Brush. — 
VI. Cleanliness of the Skin. — VII. Look Well to the Exhausted Horse. 
— VIII. Temperature of the Stable. — IX. Saddle Horses. — X. Pacers... 90 

CHAPTER Vn. 

TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 

I. Concerning the Employment of Force. — II. The Lesson of Subserviency. 
— III. Docility Through Training. — IV. Use the Whip with Discretion. 
— V. Intelligent Kestraint. — VI. Animal Language. — VII. Gentling and 
Training the Colt. — VIII. Use of the Voice and of Signals. — IX. Special 
Modes of Horse Taming. — X. Rarey's Three Fundamental Principles. — 
XI. Rarey's Apparatus. — XII. The Struggle Described. — XHI. The 
Tamer's Victory. — XIV. Dr. Walsh's Summing Up. — XV. Rarey's Fa- 
vorite Halter.— XVI. A Bit of History » . . 96 

CHAPTER Vni. 

HOW TO BUY A HORSE, AND HOW TO SELL. 

I. The Warrantee. — II. An Unqualified Warrantee — III. The Condition of 
Unsoundness. — IV. Vice. — V. Blemishes. — VI. Directions for Buying, 
— VII. Look Out for Disabilities and Tricks. — VIU. Directions for 
Selling 113 

CHAPTER IX. 

OBJECT LESSONS IN CONFORMATION. 

L The Head and Neck.— II. The Back.— III. The Shoulders.— IV. The 
Hind Quarters. — V. Lines of Divergence. — VI. The Hind Limbs. — VII. 
The Fore Limbs.— VIII. Do Not Invest in Faulty Limbs 119 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIII 

CHAPTER X. 

THE CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES. 

I. A Simple and Excellent Horse Stable. — 11. True Principles of Construc- 
tion. — in. Louvre Boards for Ventilation IV. Paving for Stables. — V. 

Stable Floor Higher than the Ground Outside.— VI. Slope of Stalls.— VII. 
Site of Stables.— VIII. Light.— IX. Modifying a Farm Barn.— X. A 
Model Barn.— XI. The Horse Stables.— XII. The Cattle Stalls, etc 127 

CHAPTER XI. 

ASSES AND MULES. 

I. The Wild Ass. — 11. General Washington's Jacks. — HI. The South is the 
Jack's Congenial Home. — IV. Uses of the Jennet, and What is a Mule? — 
V. Longevity of the Mule. — VI. Value of Mules for Labor. — VII. A 
Healthier Animal than the Horse.— VIII. Dr. Stewart's Testimony. — IX. 
The Breeding of Mules 137 

CHAPTER XH. 

OUTLINE OF THE HORSE'S STRUCTURE. 

L True Method of Treating this Subject. — II. The Horse's Frame-work. — III. 
Structure and Classification of the Bones. — TV. The Muscles. — V. Muscle 
Versus Fat.— VI. The Tendons.— VII. The Membranes.- VIII. The Skin 
and its Three Layers. — IX. Appendages and Functions of the Skin. — X. 
The Pores and Perspiration.— XI. The Hair.— XII. The Blood.— XIII. 
Plan of the Circulation.— XIV. The Circulatory System.— XV. The Cir- 
culatory Process Described.— XVI. The Heart.— XVII. The Feet 144 

CHAPTER XHI. 

OUTLINE OF THE HORSE'S STRUCTURE (Continued). 

I. The Brain and Adjoining Parts. — II. Anatomy of the Brain. — III. The 
Nervous System. — IV. Anatomy of the Eye.— V. The Eye's Principal 
Parts and Their Functions. — VI. Physiology of Kespiration. — VII. The 
Lungs. — VIII. Other Respiratory Organs. — IX. Gland, Secretion and 
Excretion Defined.— X. Glands of the Mouth and Throat.— XI. The 
Gullet and Digestive Apparatus. — XII. The Stomach. — XHI. The In- 
testines. — XIV. The Liver. — XV. The Pancreas, or Sweet-bread. — XVI. 
The Spleen, or Milt.— XVII. The Urinary Organs.— XVIIL Male Gen- 
erative Organs. — XIX. Generative Organs of the Mare 168 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE PROCESS AND EFFECTS OP INFLAMMATION. 

I. Concerning Inflammation in General. — II. Causes of Inflammation. — III. 
The Symptoms of Inflammation. — IV. Termination by Resolution. — V. 
Effusion and Suppuration. — VI. Abscesses. — VII. Ulceration. — VIII. In- 
terstitial Deposits. — IX. Mortification, or Gangrene. — X. Treatment of 
Local Inflammation. — XI. Blisters. — XII. Treatment of General Inflam- 
mation.— XIU. Bleeding 193 



XIV TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XV. 

DISEASES OF THE BONES. 

I. Inflammation of the Bone and Its Covering.— II. Sore Shins.— III. Caries, 
or Ulceration of a Bone. — IV. Necrosis, or Mortification of a Bone. — V. 
Nasal Gleet. — VI. Lumpy Jaw. — VII. Bone Cancer.— VIII. Bone and 
Cartilage Tumors.— IX. Big Head.— X. Dr. Stewart's Remarkable Ac- 
count of Big Head. — XI. Former Inhuman Modes of Treatment.- XII. 
What Brings On Big Head?— XIII. Symptoms, as Described by Stewart. 
—XIV. Dr. Stewart's Method of Treatment 203 

CHAPTER XVI. 

INJURIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 

I. Poll Evil.— II. Fistula of the Withers.— III. Bone Spavin.— IV. Splints. 

— ^V. Ring-bones. — VI. Side-bones 218 

CHAPTER XVn. 

FRACTURES. 

I. Concerning Fractures in General.— II. How a Broken Bone Unites or 
"Knits."— III. Broken Limbs.— IV. Construction and Use of Slings, etc. 
—V. Fracture of the Skull.— VI. Fracture of the Upper Jaw.— VII. Frac- 
ture of the Lower Jaw.— VIII. Fracture of the Spine.— IX. Broken Ribs. 
—X. Fractures of the Pelvis.— XI. Fractures of the Fore Legs.— XH. 
— ^Fractures of the Hind Legs 228 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 

I. Nail Wounds.— II. Corns.— III. Bruises of the Sole.— IV. Treads.— V. 
Over-reaching, or Grabbing.— VI. Forging, or Clicking.— VII. Quitter, 
or Fistula of the Foot.— VIII. Contracted Heels or Hoof.— IX. Sand- 
crack, or Cracked Hoof — X. False Quarter.— XI. Thrush.— XII. Canker. 
— XIII. Founder. — XIV. Horny Tumor of the Wall, or Keratoma. — ^XV. 
Navicular Disease 244 

CHAPTER XIX. 

THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OP SHOEING. 

I. Shoeing a Great but Necessary Evil.— II. Importance of Accurate Knowl- 
edge in Shoeing.— III. The Two-fold Object of Shoeing.— IV. Appear- 
ance Versus Utility.— V. General Plan of the Foot's Structure.— VI. 
—Bon' s of the Shank and Fetlock.— VII. Bones of the Foot.— VIII. Lig- 
aments and Tendons of the Foot.— IX. The Cartilages and Cushions of 
the Horse's Foot.— X. The Sensitive Foot, or "Quick."— XI. The Wall, 
or Crust, of the Hoof.— XII. The Sole.— XIII. The Frog— XIV. As to 
Mutual Dependence of the Parts, and Symmetry.- XV. Structure of the 
Hoof.— XVI. The Production, Growth and Decay of Hoof.— XVII. Two 
Pertinent Questions.— XVIII. Proper Relative Position of Foot and Leg. 
—XIX. Proper Form and Bearing of the Foot 260 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE ART OF SHOEING. 

. Preparing the Foot for Shoeing. — II. The Three Requirements of a Pre- 
pared Foot. — III. The Bearing Surface. — IV. The Surface in Special 
Cases. — V. The Proper Medium as to the Horny Covering. — VI. Lower- 
ing the Heels. — VII. Don't Pare the Sole. — VIII. As to the Frog and 
Over-reduced Feet. — IX. Correct Relationship of Foot and Limb. — X. To 
Secure a Proportionate Foot. — XI. Treatment of Over-grown Feet. — XII. 
Have the Sides of the Foot Left Even. — XIII. Characteristics of the 
Shoe. — XIV. Foot and Ground Surfaces of the Sole. — XV. Calkins and 
Claws. — XVI. The Shoes for Carriage Horses, Hacks, etc. — XVII. The 
Nails and Nailing On. — XVIII. Clips and Other Preliminaries to Fitting. 
— ^XIX. Comparative Unimportance of Outline Fitting. — XX. Avoid 
Wrong Shoeing in Anticipation of Evil. — XXI. Good Surface-fitting Most 
of All Essential.— XXII. The Final Putting On.— XXIII. The Charlier 
System of Shoeing. — XXIV. Discard Leather Soles, Pads, etc. — XXV. 
What is the Proper Interval Between Shoeings? — XXVI. How to Care for 
the Stabled Horse's Feet.— XXVIL Care of the Horse's Feet When at 
Grass 280 

CHAPTEE XXI. 

DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 

Inflammation of the Joints. — II. Open Joints. — III. Rheumatic Joints. — 
IV. Dislocations in General. — V. Dislocation of the Patella, or Stifle- 
joint. — VI. Bog Spavin. — VII. Thorough-pin. — VIII. Blood Spavin. — 
IX. Wind-galls, or Wind-puffs. — ^X. Knuckling, or Standing Over 300 

CHAPTER XXn. 

DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE MUSCLES, TENDONS ^ND CELLULAR TISSUES. 

Atrophy, or Wasting Av(^ay, of a Muscle. — II. Broken or Cut Muscles. — III. 
Cramp of the Muscles. — IV. Sprained Shoulder. — V. Setons, and How to 
Insert Them.— VI. Sprained Elbow.— VII. Sprained Tendons.— VIII. 
Sprained Fetlock.— IX. Sprains of the Hind Leg. — X. Shoulder Slip, or 
Sweeny. — XI. Capped Elbow, or Shoe-boil. — XII. Capped Hock. — XIII. 
Curb.— XIV. Contracted Tendons.— XV. Swelled Legs.— XVI. Swelled 
Ankles 309 

CHAPTER XXni. 

WOUNDS, BURNS, ETC. 

, Classes or Kinds of Wounds. — II. Causes of Wounds. — III. Cleansing a 
Wound. — IV. Sewing a Wound. — V. Sutures. — VI. Bandages.— VII. 
The Threads and Needles to Use. — VIII. Nature's Different Modes of 
Healing. — IX. Dressing Wounds. — X. Burns and Scalds 322 



XVI TAHI-K OF CONTKNIS. 

chaptp:k XXIV. 

DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 

1. The Teeth a Frequent Source of Suffering. — U. The Horse's Teeth. — III. 
Teethiug, or Dentition.— IV. Shedding the Teeth.— V. Decay of the 
Teeth, and Toothache.— VI. Extracting the Teeth.— VII. The Marks of 
Age.— VIII. Second to Fourth Years.— IX. Fifth to Eighth Years.— X. 
Ninth to Thirteenth Y''ears.— XI. Thirteen Years and Upwards. — XII. Ir- 
regular Teeth.— XIII. Parrot Mouth , .... 329 

CHAPTER XXV. 

DISEASES OF THE MOUTH AND STOMACH. 

I. Lainpas. — II. Pikes, and Paps or Barbs. — III. Wolf Teeth. — IV. Swollen 
Glands. — V. Choking. — VI. The Horse's Stomach and Its Peculiarity. — 
VII. Bots. — VIII. Indigestion, or Dyspepsia. — IX. Stomach or "Blind" 
Staggers. — X. Rupture of the Stomach or Bowels 342 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 

I. Spasmodic or Cramp Colic. — II. Flatulent or Wind Colic. — III. Inflani- 
iiialion of the Bowels, or Enteritis. — IV. Diarrhoea. — V. Dysentery. — VI. 
Constipation. — VII. Hair-balls and Concretions. — VIII. Worms.- — IX. 
Hemorrhoids, or Piles. — X. Hernia, or Rupture « 351 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

DISEASES OF THE LIVER AND SPLEEN. 

I. Important Functions of the Liver. — H. Organic Diseases of the Liver. — 
III. Inllammation of the Liver, or Hepatitis. — IV. Fatty Liver. — V. 
.faundicc, or Yellows. — VI. Enlargement of the Spleen 364 

CHAP'l I:H XXVIII. 

DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 

F. Inllammation of the Kidneys, or Nephriti.s.— It. Diabetes. — III. Stoppage 
of the Urine, or Dysurea.— IV. Azoturea.— V. Intlamu)ation of the Blad- 
der, or Cystitis.— VI. Rupture of the Bladder.— VII. Spasm of the Blad- 
der. —Vlil. Stone or Gravel (Calculus) in the Bladder oG!) 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 

I. Injury of the Penis.— IT. Beans.— III.— Tumors.— IV. Contraction of the 
Siieath.— V. Inflammation of the Testicle, or Orchitis.— VI. Hydrocele, 
or Dropsy of the Testicle. —VII. Varicose Veius.—VIlI. Castration.— IX. 
Castration of the Ridgling, or Cryptorchid.— X. The Sequels of Castra- 
tion. —XI. Indurated Cord 379 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XYII 

CHAPTEK XXX. 

DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 

I. Rupture of the Perineum. — II. — Leucorrhoea, or the Whites. — III. Inflam- 
mation of the Womb, or Metritis.— IV. Abortion. — V. The Seven Periods 
of Gestation. — VI. Hemorrhage, or Flooding of the Womb. — VII. False 
Labor Pains.— VIII. Falling of the Womb.— IX. Nymphomania. — X. 
Spaying, or Castration of the Mare. — XI. Equine Syphilis. — XII. Inflam- 
mation of the Udder, or Mammitis 390 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

PARTURITION. 

I. Natural Parturition. — 11. Different Presentations. — III. Attention to the 
Mother. — IV. Attention to the Foal. — V. Difficult Parturitions in the 
Mare and Cow Compared. — VI. Difficulties Due to the Mother. — VII. 
Difficulties Due to the Foal. — VIII. Obstetric Instruments.— IX. When 
the Foal is Born Dead, or the After-birth Retained 403 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

DISEASES OP THE NOSE AND THROAT. 

I. Prevalence of These Diseases. — II. Catarrh, or Common Cold. — III. Nasal 
Gleet. — IV. Nasal Polypus. — V. Nasal Hemorrhage, or Epistaxis. — VI. 
Laryngitis, or Inflammation of the Larynx. — VII. Roaring and Whistling, 
or Laryngeal Paralysis 411 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. 

I. Bronchitis. — II. Pneumonia, or Inflammation of the Lungs. — HI. Asthma, 
Broken Wind, and Heaves (Emphysema of the Lungs). — IV. Pleurisy, 
with Water on the Chest (Hydrothorax) 418 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 

I. Concerning Diseases of the Circulatory Apparatus in General. — II. The 
Pulse. — III. The Temperature. — IV. Foreign Bodies in the Heart. — V. 
Hypertrophy (Enlargement) of the Heart. — VI. Atrophy of the Heart. — 
VII. Fatty Degeneration of the Heart. — VIII. Diseases of the Valves. — 
IX. Tumors in the Heart. — X. Rupture of the Heart. — XL Inflammation 
of the Pericardium, or Pericarditis. — XH. Aneurism. — XIII. Wounds of 
Blood-vessels. — XIV. Inflammation of the Jugular Vein, oi* Phlebitis. — 
XV. Thumps, or Spasm of the Diaphragm 42S 

2 



XVIII TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE XXXV. 

DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 

I. Boils. — II. lufluenza, Distemper, or Pink-eye. — III. Rheumatism. — IV. 
Purpura Hemorrhagica. — V. Glanders and Farcy. — VI. Strangles. — VII. 
Variola Equina, or Horse Pox. — VHI. Rabies, or Hydrophobia. — IX. 
Melanosis, or Black Tumors. — X. Pyaemia, or Blood Poisoning. — XI. 
Weed or Thick Leg (Lymphangitis) , 437 

CHAPTEE XXXVI. 

DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 

I. Head Staggers, Stomach Staggers, or Brain Fever. — II. Sleepy Staggers, 
Tumors in the Brain, etc. — III. Paralysis, or Palsy. — IV. Paralysis of the 
Lips and Tongue. — V. Spring-halt, or String-halt. — VI. Tetanus, or 
Lock-jaw 452 

CHAPTEE XXXVH. 

DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 

L Torn Eyelids. — H. Warts on the Eyelids. — III. Entropium, or Turning in 
of the Eyelashes. — IV. Ectropium, or Turning Outward of the Eyelashes. 
— V. Filaria Oculi. — VI. Staphyloma, or Bulging of the Cornea. — VH. 
Glass Eye, or Amaurosis. — VIII. Inflammation of the Conjunctiva, or 
Conjunctivitis.— IX. Moon Blindness, or Periodic Ophthalmia. — X. Cat- 
aract. — XI. Examination of the Eye. — XII. Diseases of the Ear 458 

CHAPTEE XXXVIII. 

DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 

I. Scratches, or Cracked Heels. — II. Saddle and Collar Galls.— HI. Ring- 
worm.— IV. Mud Fever.— V. Erysipelas.— VL Mange. — VII. Lice.— 
VIII. Fleas.— IX. Ticks.— X. Warbles, or Woruils.— XI. Maggots. — 
XII. Grease.— XIII. Hide-bound 466 

CHAPTEE XXXIX. 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 

I. Many Operations Not Beyond the Farmer's Skill.— II. Anaesthetics. — HI. 
How to Administer Chloroform. — IV. Methods of Securing for Operation. 
— V. Docking. — VI. Nicking. — VII. Neurotomy, or Nerving. — VIII. 
Trepanation, or Trephining.— IX. Subcutaneous Periosteotomy.— X. Ten- 
otomy.— XI. Setons.— XII. Firing 477 

CHAPTEE XL. 

[POISONS, POISONOUS SNAKES AND INSECTS, ETC. 

I. Concerning Poisons in General.— II. The Chief Sources of Poisoning.— III. 
Internal Poisons.— IV. Poisonous Plants. — V. Poisonous Preparations 
from Plants.— VI. Poisons of the Skin.— VII. Snake-bites.— VIII. Ven- 
omous Spiders.— IX. The Centipede.— X. Stinging Scorpions.— XI. 
Hornets, W.asps, etc 489 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIX 

CHAPTER XLI. 
Eecapitulation of Remedies 499 

THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 

BY E. B. ABERCROMBIE. 

The Origin, Rise and Progress of tlie American Trotting Horse, with Short 
Sketches of tlie Most Celebrated Heroes of the Track and Road, and also a 
Set of Trotting Statistics at All Distances, Compiled and Revised up to 
October 1, 1892 507 

Glossary of Scientific and Important Words 571 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Pack. 

Representative Breeds of the 
Horse (Frontispiece) . 

A hunter sire of 75 years ago 34 

English hackney stallion Connaught 3C 

Typical English coach or post horses 37 

Cleveland bay carriage horses 38 

English shire stallion Bury Victor \ gg 
Chief j 

A typical English Suffolk stallion.. 40 

English Clydesdale stallion Prince) a-, 
Alexander J 

A pair of Percherons 45 

French coach horse 46 

Outline and points of the thor- \ ^o 
oughbred J 

Outline of draft horse and points. . . 49 

The English thoroughbred (run- ") -q 
ning horse) J 

A typical trotting horse in condition 55 

A breeding stallion (draft hoi'se) ) gg 
ready for light exercise j 

The modern Cleveland Bay horse.. 60 

Starting for the walk 69 

Eeceived interpretation of the walk. 70 

Exceptional mode of starting 71 

Action in the true trot 74 

The canter 75 

Received interpretation of the gallop 77 

Correct view of the gallop 79 

Norman or French draft horse 83 

The leg-strap, No. 1 102 

Cruiser, the vicious, with leg-strap \ ,q£, 
and surcingle on j 

The leg-strap, No. 2 103 

Ready for the final struggle 104 

The horse bounding on his hind legs 105 



The horse on his knees, about to 
fall on his side 



Page. 
.06 



The horse tamed 

Rarey's halter and breaking-bit.... 

Mechanism of the fore and hind limbs 

Head of racing horse 

Head of trotter 

Thin-necked 

Ewe-necked 

A neck bad and awkward 

Shapely for labor 

A treacherous head 

Stubborn head 

The idiot 

Three backs — the good, medium 1 
and hollow i 

Good and bad shoulders 

Hip formations 

Good form 

Not so good 

Bad form 

Crooked limbed 

Good hind limbs 

Bad to malformation 

Fore limbs (two .cuts) 

Fore limbs (six cuts) 

Front presentation (three cuts) 

Plan showing construction 
stable for sixteen horses. . . . 



."} 



Ground plan of feeding floor and \ 
yards J 

A model barn (northeast view) as 1 
built and in use in Pennsylvania j 

Common ass and foal 

Sunning himself 

A modified Spanish jack of the \ 
United States i 



XXI 



XXII 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Comjjlete skeleton of the horse) 
(viewed from the right side) ... J 

Frame-work and outline of the\ 
horse (from the left side) J 

Horse's foot and ankle 

The skin — greatly magnified 

Plan of the circulation 

The heart, aorta, etc. (The chest \ 
opened on left side) J 

Horse's hoof 

Inside view of the hoof 

Sectional view of the horse's head . . 

Sectional view of the eye 

Organs of the neck and chest \ 
(opened on the left side) j 

The horse's stomach, as it appears \ 
upon dissection j 



Page. 

45 



the I 



The intestines of the horse 

Male generative organs (the abdo- 
men and pelvis opened on f 
left side) 

Generative organs of the mare 
(opened on the right side) 

Veins of the neck and face 

Grooved director 

Abscess lance 

Fleam for bleeding 202 

Pin suture 202 

Sore shin 204 

Caries of the upper jaw • • • 205 

Bone scraper 205 

Splinter forceps 20G 

Cancer of the lower jaw-bone 208 

Bone tumor of the lower jaw (from \ goo 
a photograph) / 

Bone chisel 209 

A severe case of big head 211 

Fistula of the withers 219 

Bandage for the withers 220 

Three diseased hocks, illustrating^ 
bone spavin, bog spavin and V 221 
blood spavin (three cuts) J 

A sound hock 222 

Bone spavin 223 

High splint 224 



Page. 

High ring-bone 226 

Low ring-bone 226 

Large side-bones 227 

Simple fracture of lower jaw 228 

Fracture that has united 229 

Sling for horse with broken leg 232 

The lower jaw 236 

Walker's cradle for fracture of the \ nqy 
lower jaw J 

Fracture of the spine 238 

The ribs, vertebrae, etc 238 

Bandage for the hip 240 

Ankylosis of shoulder-joint 241 

Stiff or ankylosed knee 241 

Shoe with iron extension 242 

Fracture of the hock 243 

Sage knife 245 

A case of quittor 249 

Sand-crack 251 

How to pare a cracked hoof 252 

False quarter 252 

A foundered horse trying to walk.. . 255 

The result of chronic founder 256 

Section of the foot, and pastern \ okc 
and fetlock joints j 

The shoer at work 260 

Section of the horse's foot 264 

The coronet, or small pastern (dif- \ qgK 
ferent faces — three cuts) J 

Coffin or pedal bone 265 

Side view of coffin-bone 266 

Navicular bone (different faces \ ^qq 
three cuts) / 

Pedal bone, with cartilages and ) ggs 
cushion attached / 

View of foot from above 268 

Wall, or crust, of the foot 270 

Section of the hoof 271 

Sole and frog of the foot 272 

.T ay-Eye-See 27G 

Diagrams of shoe and portions of \ 2^2 
foot (two cuts) i 

Hoof knives 284 



LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. 



XXIII 



Page. 

Diagrammatic side-view of foot 286 

Two forms of calkins 290 

Side-view of shoe 291 

Hind and front shoes for carriage \ qqi 
horses (two cuts) J 

Hind and front shoes for hunters, \ ^qo 
etc. (two cuts) / 

Sectional views of shoe and point \ nan 
of foot (three cuts) ■...../ "^^^ 

Section of the Charlier shoe 297 

Section of the seated shoe 297 

Dislocation of the stifle-joint 304 

Thorough-pin and bog spavin 305 

Bog spavin truss 305 

A case of liuuckling of both fetlocks 307 

Apparatus for deformed fetlock 308 

India-rubber syringe 310 

Seton needle 312 

Muscles on back part of fore leg 314 

Neck cradle 316 

Capped elbow, or shoe-boil 316 

An ill-shaped hock 318 

A case of badly contracted tendon. . 319 

Proper mode of bandaging the leg. . 320 

Knot for stopping bleeding 324 

Interrupted suture 325 

Twisted suture 325 

Different kinds of veterinarian's \ qo« 
needles / "^^^ 

Needle holder ." 326 

Palate and teeth of the upper jaw.. 330 

Toothache 332 

The teeth at about one month old.. 334 

Rising three years (front view) 334 

Rising four years (front view) 335 

Rising four years (from above) 335 

Five years 336 

The nippers (incisors) at six years . . 336 

Seven years old (side view) 337 

Eight years old 338 

Nine years old 338 

Eleven years old 339 



Page. 

Fifteen years old 339 

Nineteen years old 340 

Thirty years old 340 

Tooth rasp 340 

Pair of tooth-cutters 341 

Parrot mouth (side view) 341 

Lance for cutting the gums 343 

Probang for removing obstruction "1 o^k 

of the oesophagus (gullet) j 

Bandages for the front and sides of \ oar 

the neck j '**'^ 

Bots and gad-flies, with eggs of \ oAn 

the latter j "**' 

Effects of chronic indigestion 348 

The sign of heart-burn 348 

Where to tap for blind staggers 350 

The first signs of colic 351 

Hypodermic syringe 352 

Trocar and canula 354 

Inflammation of the bowels, or\ ogg 

enteritis j 

A sufferer from constipation 358 

An intestinal concretion 359 

Abdominal hernia in mare with foal 363 

An approved drenching horn 366 

Balling-iron 367 

The way to hold a pill 368 

Inflammation of the kidneys 370 

Diabetes 371 

Sectional view, illustrating the use \ ono 

of the catheter / 

The slings in position 375 

Calculus, or stone, from the bladder 377 

Swollen penis 379 

Testicle supporter. . . . ". 381 

Dropsy of the testicle (hydrocele) .. 382 

Colt thrown for castration 383 

Castrating knife 384 

Side lines for casting a colt 384 

Wooden clamps 385 

Clamp on the testicle 385 

The ecraseur '. 386 

Russian method of casting 386 



XXIV 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 

The ridgling cast on his back, 387 

Round vaginal speculum 391 

Advancing symptoms of abortion. . . 393 

Vaginal speculum 396 

The position of the organs Of the 1 gno 

mare J 

Torsion forceps 400 

Recumbent position 404 

Head presentation 405 

Tail presentation 406 

Right transverse position 407 

Sharp hook 410 

Blunt hook. 410 

Steaming bag 412 

Mouth speculum 413 

Throat bandage 415 

Bronchitis 418 

Pneumonia, or lung fever 420 

A severe case of broken wind 423 

A simple muzzle • 424 

A case of pleurisy 425 

Hydrothorax, or water in the chest \ .„„ 

cavity j 

The heart and its vessels 428 

Blood-vessels, etc., of the head 429 

Dropsy from heart disease 432 

Veterinarian's forceps 434 

Tying an artery 435 

Balling-iron 436 

Diagram of boil (sectional view) .... 437 
Catarrhal form of influenza (pink- \ ,oq 

eye) / 

Side-rod 441 

Purpura hemorrhagica 442 

Simple form of strangles 446 

Poultice for strangles 447 

Lymphangitis, or big leg 450 

Lymphangitis of the head 450 

The convulsions of mad staggers.. . . 452 

Sleepy staggers 453 

Right-sided paralysis of lower lip ) .j. . 

and tongue j 

Paralysis of both sides of lower lip. 455 

Tetanus, or lock-jaw 457 

The eye in lock-jaw 457 

Entropium 458 

Bulging of the cornea 459 

Amaurosis, or glass eye 460 



Page. 

The eye bandage 461 

Complete cataract 463 

The eye opener 465 

Ear bandage = 465 

Bandage for the back 467 

Ringworm 467 

Bandage for the top of the neck 468 

The mange insect (very highly \ ,-,> 

magnified) j *'" 

Mange insects (magnified one huu- > ,_, 

dred times) / '^'^ 

The common tick (greatly magnified) 473 

Bandage for the croup 473 

Chronic grease 474 

Chloroform bag 478 

Hobbles for the horse 479 

Horse secured on the operating! ,cn 

table ?} 480 

Fore leg secured 480 

Docking knife 481 

Nicking knife 483 

A useful knife for nerving, etc 484 

Bad results following high nerving. 484 

Where to trephine 485 

Circular trephine 486 

Sharp-pointed bistoury , 486 

Probe-pointed bistoury 487 

Convex-edged iron 488 

Pointed iron 488 

Various designs in tiring ^88 

Imported Messenger 508 

Rysdyk's Hambletonian 510 

Lady Suffolk, 2 :26i^ 516 

Flora Temple, 2 :193^ 518 

Maud S.. 2:083^ 527 

Sunol, 2 :OSi^. 529 

Phallas, 2 :133^ 532 

Axtell (3 years), 2 :12 535 

Nelson, 2 :10 537 

Palo Alto, 2 :08^ 541 

Arion, 2:10>4' 544 

Nancy Hanks, 2 :05i4 546 

H. B. Winship (trotter) and run- \^ 

ning mate, 2 :00 i 551 

Westmont (pacer) and runnincr'i 

mate, 2 :01^^ T / 553 

Little Brown Jug, 2:113^ 556 

Direct, 2 :06 560 



THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



CHAPTER I. 

HORSES FOR LABOR. 



WHENCE OUR HORSES CAME. II. THE HUNTING HORSE. III. THE HACK- 
NEY. IV. CARRIAGE HORSES. V. ENGLISH DRAFT HORSES. VI. THE 

SUFFOLK PUNCH. VII. THE CLYDESDALE HORSE. VIII. THE ENGLISH 

CART-HORSE. IX. THE FLEMISH HORSE. X. FRENCH DRAFT HORSES. 

XI. THE FERCHERON HORSE. XII. THE FRENCH COACH HORSE. 

XIII. HANOVERIAN AND GERMAN COACH HORSES. 



I. Whence Our Horses Came. 

The British Isles have undoubtedly given to the world among the 
most excellent breeds of horses for all uses, save only the trotting 
horse. This class is distinctly American, and the only distinctive 
breed we possess; nevertheless, all the English, French, Belgian and 
German breeds, when brought and bred here, are, as a rule, capable 
of greater effort than in their original home, unless it be France, and 
perhaps Germany — for nov/here else is there a country whose climate 
seems so naturally adapted to the full development of the horse as 
in the Western States of the Union, including, of course, the Pacific 
States. There may be four divisions or classes of horses named and 
described among horses for hibor. These are the Hunting horse, a 
distinctly saddle horse; the Hackney, used for light driving; the 
Coach or Carriage horse; and last, but not least, the Draft horse. 
Of course, all these were originally from England and the continent 
of Europe. American horses superior in all these classes, whatever 
the country they may have originated in, have been produced by 
thousands, and of the most superior breeding that money could buy, 
until now, with our unapproachable trotting and road horses, no 
country ni the civilized world can show better specimens than may 
be found in the United States. 

3 33 

I 



34 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



II. The Hunting Horse. 

The Hunter, as he exists in England and also in the United States, 
is simply a modified thoroughbred, capable of caiTying weight on- his 
back, of undoubted bottom, and courage. He is generally three- 
quarters bred, or even higher. In the United- States trotting bred 
horses, many of them, make admirable hunters, becoming extraordi- 
nary leapers, and of a courage that shrinks at nothing, when under 
the direction of an expert rider. Mr. Charles W. Tindall, in a late 
article on this class of horses in England, from which we make a few 
isolated extracts, sa3^s : "The reason why we hear so much about the 






A IIUNTEK SIRP] OF 7u YEARS AGO. 



breeding of Hunters not paying, is that, up to now, we have had no 
fixed type or principle for producing them. Can any one imagine that 
hunters need be the only breed of horses that does not reproduce 
itself? Against any other class of horses we cannot make the same 
accusation. In light horses, for example, from the .thoroughbred to 
the Shetland ponv, or in the heavier breeds (such as Shires, Clydes- 
dales, and Suffolks), they all reproduce themselves to type in the 
truest degree. The thoroughbred undoubtedly is, and through the 
influence of the Turf will be, from a pecuniarv point of view, the 
most valuable breed, and surely that of the Hunter ought to be the 
next in value. It will be said that Hunters have to carry different 
weights under varied circumstances, and consequently have to be of 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 35 

SO many sizes. Yes, but this equally applies to liackiieys, which, al- 
though they have different degrees of strength, are still of one type. 

"Hunters have, up to the present, been bred in every conceivable 
way; the dam bred no one knows how, the sire in most cases being a 
thoroughbred. Some advocate the putting of small thoroughbred 
sires to light draught mares, whilst others advise putting the small 
active cart-horse to a thoroughbred mare. The result of this hap- 
hazard mating is that not one in twenty-five animals designedly bred 
for hunters, answers the expectations, pays the breeder, or passes 
life in the occupation for which it was originally intended. 

"Those who have for years been tr3'ing to breed valuable hunters 
from weight-carrying mares, crossed with thoroughbred horses, have 
failed to attain their object. I contend that the weight-carrying 
premium mares will not produce stock able to carry weight, if mated 
for two generations with the light thoroughbred stallion. I believe 
that not five per cent of the premium mares so mated will produce 
progeny likely to be successful premium-winners, but that their stock 
will decrease in size and substance each generation. 

"To remedy this we should treat the horse in the same way as the 
mare, and breed from Hunter sires as well as from Hunter dams, 
and so fix a type. For that purpose select a stallion the true tj^De of 
a Hunter, able to carry to hounds 196 to 212 pounds, with at least 
two crosses of thoroughbred blood in his veins, and whose dam was 
bred equally well, and also capable of carrying weight. 

"I am not in favor of a large sire for the breeding of half-breds, 
but contend that the Hunter sire should certainly not exceed 16 
hands, with form, substance, action, and be able to carry 196 pounds 
to hounds. If this be done in future, we shall then hear less about 
losses in Hunter breeding. To bring about such a reform I hope to 
see the Hunters' Improvement Society offering premiums for such 
sires. This would give a great impetus to breeding, and a practical 
result would follow." 

III. The Hackney. 

The Hackney of English blood is comparativel}^ new in the United 
States, but has grown into favor in our large cities. They are cer- 
tainly a most admirable class of horses, as now carefully bred in En- 
gland, Yorkshire being their native home. Object lessons often 
teach more than pages of print, and hence the illustrations given in 
this work will be from the best English and American examples. 



36 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



The Hackney Stallion here shown is Connaught, the Champion at 
the London, Eoyal and Great Yorkshire shows. There is a regular 
Hackney Society in England, and also in America, in which is recog- 
nised only "full registered stock." During 1891 animals of this 
breed were imported into America as follows : New York, Connecti- 
cut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, 
Indiana, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, and in the Dominion of 




ENGLISH HACKNEY STALLION CONNAUGHT. 



Canada to Quebec, Ontario, ]Manitol)a, and the Northwest Terri- 
tory. 

IV. Carriage Horses. 

In England there arc two distinctly defined classes of carriage 
horses. These are the Cleveland Bay, and the Yorkshire Coach 
horse, both admirable for the uses intended. This class of horses 
should range bctwecm fifteen and thrce-(juarters hands to sixteen and 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 



37 



a half hands. The Clevehmd Baj^, as now bred, is certainly mag- 
nificent both as to stj'le and action, and fitted for all classes of light 
draft, including, of course, the carriage. There are many large studs 
of these admirable horses in the United States, principall}^ in the 
West, and they are 3'^early becoming better and better liked. As 
illustrating the advanced form both of Cleveland Bays and of the 
English Coach and Post horses, as they are now defined, we present 
accurate likenesses from orioinal Enolish sources of late date. On 
page CO the reader will find depicted the "Modern Cleveland Bay 
Horse" (American). 




-^nwt^T^^* 



TYPICAL ENGLTSII COACH OR POST HORSES. 



The Cleveland Bay. — The Cleveland Bay, as it originally existed 
in the last century and early part of the present, was undoubtedly a 
horse bred between the old English Cart-horse mare (or, perhaps, 
the Flemish mare) and the thoroughbred. The Cleveland Bay of to- 
day is a far higher bred animal and a better, and one adapted to all 
purposes of light draft where a stylish, speedy horse is required. 
Hence the reason they came so quickly to be appreciated in the United 
States. As to the Yorkshire Coaching horse, it is simply a modifica- 



38 



TPIE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



tion of the old English Post-horse, an animal now largely in dis- 
use, but better bred now, as the illustration given of them shows, 
and producing good models of horses well adapted for the family car- 
riage, and the general work of the farm. Our cuts of the Cleveland 
Bay will give a good idea of this excellent horse, as now used in En- 
gland and America. 

The French Coach Horse. — Another candidate for public favor, and 
one fully competing the palm with the Cleveland Bay, is the French 
Coach hoTse, a modified Percheron, produced by crossing roomy, 
modern bred French mares with the thoroughbred. They now carry 




CLEVELAND BAY CAKT^IAGK HOUSES. 



distinctly solid colors, are stocky, elegant, high-headed, active, mag- 
nificent, able animals in every respect, as bred in the United States. 
Though not as yet generally disseminated here, they are growing in 
favor year after year. The engraving on page 46 is a good repre- 
sentation of this admirable breed of French horses. 

v. English Draft Horses. 

The Shire Horse. — This heaviest, and, lo our mind, best of the 
English Draft horses, is without doubt descended from the old En- 
glish Cart-horse. Compared with his ancestors, while losino- no 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 



39 



weight, he has been refined and improved in every respect. The 
word Shire has been used in England since early in the sixteenth 
century. The origin of all the so-called great horses of England, as 




distino-uishino; size, hes, without doubt, on the one side,' with the 
Flemish mares introduced to Great Britain in the eleventh and twelfth 
centuries, and described as for the most part black, with white mark- 
ings on face and feet, frequently with all the legs white to the knees 



40 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



and hocks; tall, rangy, muscular, well developed in vital points, with 
limbs broad, flat and cordy, strong-jointed, and with a fringe of long 
hair from the fetlocks to the cannon bone. They have been known 
since that time as the War horse, the Great horse, the old English 




Black horse, or the Shire horse, and in latter years have been refined 
Avithout impairment of vital power, so that to-da}-^ they stand as the 
peer of any draft hor.se on earth. The illustration shows the English 
Shire stallion Bury Victor Chief, first winner at the late London 
and Koval Shows. 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 



41 



VI. The Suffolk Punch. 

Another famous draft horse of England is the Suffolk Punch, a 
horse that should not be judged by the Shire standard, but in En- 
gland is always salable. Unlike the Shire and the Clydesdale, the 
Suffolk is clean-limbed. This horse conies pretty near to our Ver- 
mont draft horse (now extinct), yet is somewhat longer in the body, 
but as of the class nearest approaching the Shire in this respect. 
American breeders like clean-limbed horses, and the Suffolk is so, and 
nearly as compact as a pony. They are plow horses, team horses, and 




ENGLISH CLYDESDALE STALLION PRINCE ALEXANDER. 

will pull a big load at a high rate of speed, when necessary. Their 
temper is good, and they are among the coming horses. The color 
mclines to chestnut, with white markings on the lower limbs. The il- 
lustration will give a good idea of this excellent horse from the English 
point of view. The breed is still rather rare in the United States. 
VII. The Clydesdale Horse. 
The Scottish horse is another of the famous breeds of English 
horses. No other breed, save the Percherons, have been so exten- 



42 THE AMERICAN FARMEr's HORSE BOOK. 

,si^Tly introduced into the United States, and with general satisfac- 
tion. They are honest at a pull, and with the courage to keep tiy- 
ing until the load comes. AMiile not so heavy as the Shire, as a rule 
they are heavy enough to take anything that comes. They have 
been famous in Great Britain since the middle of, the fourteenth cen- 
tury, and are supposed to have been brought to perfection in Lanark- 
shire. The origin of the Clydesdale, like that of the Shij-e, lies in 
the Flemish horse, and since the early part of the eighteenth century 
they have been most carefully bred. Bay, brown and black have 
been prevailing colors, but latterly gray and chestnuts and some dis- 
tinct sorrels have been bred. As with the Shire, white markings 
on the face, legs and feet are characteristic, as also the long, glossy 
hair from the knee and hock to the fetlock. All these features are 
regarded as marks of bk)od and high breeding. The illustration 
gives a good idea of the 'Clydesdale horse of to-day from the 
standpoint of Eviglisii experts. 

VIII. The English Cart-horse. 
The Old English Cart-horse is not worthy of mention here, except 
as the foundation upon which the great draft horses of England and 
Scotland have been reared. They were black, heavy, and compar- 
atively misshapen according to "Stonehenge," who, in his unique 
way, describes them as follows: "From time immemorial this coun- 
try has possessed a heavy and comparatively misshapen animal, the 
more active of which Avere formerly used as chargers or pack horses, 
while the others were devoted to the ploAv, and, as time wore on, to 
the lumbering vehicles of the period of Queen Elizabeth and her im- 
mediate successors. In color almost invariably black, with a great 
fiddle-case in the place of head, and feet concealed in long masses of 
hair, depending from misshapen legs, he united fat sides, upright 
shoulders, mean and narrow hips, and very drooping quarters. Still, 
plain as he was, he did his work willingly, and would ]iull at a dead 
weight until he drc^pped. This last quality was necessarj^ enough at 
the first introduction of wheel carriages, for the roads were so bad 
that the wheels were constantly buried up to their haves in the' deep 
ruts in the roads at the bottom of every hill, or wherever there was 
not a clear course for the water to run off. True pulling was, there- 
fore, considered the first and most essential attribute of the cart or 
heavy carriage horse; and as without it the traveler or carter would 
be constantly left in the 'Slough of Despond,' it is not to be won- 
dered ftt that such was the case." 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 43 

IX. The Flemish Horse. 

No less valuable in the building up of English draft horses has 
been the Flemish horse of the Continent, and in fact the impress of 
this animal is found originall}^ in all British breeds, even in that of 
the thoroughbred, and especially does this apply to the Suffolk and 
the Cleveland Bay. These two latter, indeed, onl}^ exist in the im- 
proved and modified form. The Lincolnshire horse originated in a 
cross between the Black Cart-horse and the Flemish, and the French 
and German horses also are indebted to this mighty horse for size 
and stamina. So the Conestoga horse of Pennsylvania, now extinct, 
owed much of his value to the original Flemish blood, modified by 
crossino- with German horses, and ao'ain Avith the then mixed blood 
of the United States in the early part of the present century. Of 
this wonderful horse a standard English writer says : 

"The Flemish horses have long enjoj^ed a high reputation, and to 
them we owe many useful crosses among our dray and heavy agricul- 
tural draft horses. Both their light and heavy breeds are remarkable 
for high crests, small heads, somewhat narrow across the eyes, heavy 
shoulders, and round, powerful, but very drooping quarters. Their 
hocks are comparatively small, but clean, and their legs light and free 
from hair. Their worst point lies in the feet, wdiich almost alwaj^s 
have flat and thin soles, unfitting them for fast work on hard roads. 
Just prior to the introduction of railroads, the English system of 
coaching was introduced into Belgium, and I have sat behind several 
teams of mares drawing a heav}^ diligence more than ten miles within 
the hour. Almost all were bay with black points, and their legs were 
nearly as clean and free from hair as those of our thoroughbreds. 
They were extraordinarily good tempered, and suffered their attend- 
ants to 'put them to' all together, being all attached to a splinter-bar, 
which was turned over the quarters of the wheelers. All that w^as 
necessary was to pull up nearly close behind the four horses standing 
ready for the change, then unhooking the bar of those just come in, it 
was turned over their quarters, and they were taken forward till they 
cleared the pole, when they were in a body turned on one side. The 
four fresh horses were then quickly backed to their places, a wheeler 
passing on each side the pole, the bar was dropped to its place and 
hooked, the reins in the meantime being taken out of the territs by 
the coachman, and the change was effected in less than a minute." 



44 THE AMERICAN rAR:\IER\s HORSE BOOK. 

X. French Draft Horses. 

There are two distinct tj-pes of draft horses in France, the princi- 
pal difference being in the relatiA'e size. Both of these types have 
obtained great celebrity in the United States within the last thirty 
years, but are now so blended together that thejr really constitute a 
single class. The Flemish horse, the old Norman, and the Arab and 
Barb, introduced into France, after the victory of Charles Martel 
over the Saracens in the long ago of the 8th centmy, having been 
the prime integers in originating the French horses, later careful 
breeding has brought them to their present state of celebrity. The 
okl Norman Cart-horse is described as having been large, powerful, 
active and hard}^, with a heavy head and long cannon bones, but 
highly valued in the days when knights were clad in armor, as a war 
horse. Within the last fift}^ years, by wise selection and careful 
breeding, the horses originally called Normans and Percherons have 
been so blended, that, while having great weight, vigor and substance, 
they now combine the added and necessary qualification of elegance 
of carriage, and, unlike many of the great draft horses of England, 
have wonderfully good hoofs. The illustration on page 83 of the old- 
fashioned Norman horse will give a good idea of the size and almost 
colossal power which made it so famous. 

XI. The Pereheron Horse. 

The late J. H. Klippart, of Ohio, who made a most careful study 
of this breed about forty years ago in France, said: "The Pereheron 
is a gray horse. In fact, everywhere in Perche every gra}^ horse is 
called a Pereheron. Every ^-ear thousands of fillies are brought there 
from Brctagne, a very great number undoubted!}^ the offspring of 
Boulonnais; from Flanders to Picardy, where three very distinct vari- 
eties of heavy and powerful draft horses are reared. Then there are the 
offspring of mares in the country of very diverse stallions." Mv. 
Klippart was not impressed with these horses as at that time coming 
constant in form or other characteristics, except that they were gen- 
erally gray. That they were, as a class, wonderfully active and cour- 
ageous at a pull with a heavy load on difficult roads, uphill and down, 
is a matter of history, and this it was that gave the Pereheron or 
diligence horse of F.i'ancc his well deserved celebrity. 

Since Mr. Klippart wrote, both the heavier and lighter horses have 
been most carefully bred, and Stud books have been established. 



HORSES FOR LABOR. 



45 




wmm 



■i-.^ 



A I^AIR OF FEUCHllKO^!^. 



They have been increased in size, style and weight, running from 
1,500 up to 2,000 pounds eacli, and with tlie continued care, breed- 
ing and feedino: and manao-e- 



ment in the United States, 
within the last twentj-five 
years, they undoubtedly con- 
stitute to-day the best and ' 
most valuable draft horses in ^ ' 
the world, whether they be | 
called Perchcron, Norman, ^ 
Norman-Percheron, or French f 
Draft-horses — for by all these •" 7 
names they have been desig- [^ 
nated in the United States 
within the last twenty-five ^^^ 
years. There are now two 
classes in the United States, 
denominated one as Percheron, and the other as French Draft, 
and two Stud Registers. 

XII. The French Coach Horse. 

This mao;niticent horse is a modified Percheron, havino- been o-iven 
a sufficient amount of thoroughbred blood to increase the style and 
elegance, by rendering them more rangy and with higher crests, and 
with finer and cleaner limbs, and superb action in harness. They are 
of different colors — grays, bays, brown and black, and even some 
sorrels. The darker colors, however, are preferred. There are no 
poor or weedy horses among them, and hence those not good enough 
for stylish carriage horses, are always .in request for fancy draft 
horses in our large cities. Notwithstanding their high breeding, they 
are as honest at a stiff pull as their close relations, the Percheron and 
French Draft horses. A good specimen is shown on the next page. 

XIII. Hanoverian and German Coach Horses. 

Within the last few years a class of horses have been brought to 
the United States known as the Hanoverian or German Coach horse. 
They are less in weight than the French Coach horses, and with 
higher crests and greater flexion of the ncck,veiT clean-limbed, high- 
actioned, nervous horses, showing careful breeding. As yet, how- 
ever, they are rare. Nevertheless, an association of these breeders 



46 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



has been established, and a Stud Register of record printed. These 
horses are of solid color — bays, browns and blacks. It remains to be 
seen whether the elegant Cleveland Bay, the magnificent French 
Coach, or the stylish German Coach horse will become the favorite 




FRENCH COACII HORSE (PAGES 38 AND 45). 

carriage horses of the constantly increasing nnml)cr who willingly 
pay high prices for perfectly nuitchcd teams to pull the family car- 
riage, the coach, drag, tally-ho, and other heavy vehicles of our 
well-to-do class of citizens who have money to spend. 



CHAPTER II. 
THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTING HORSES. 



I, THE THOKOUGHBRED A COMPOSITE IIOKSE. II. EXTERNAL POINTS. III. 

VARYING STANDARD FOR DIFFERENT BREEDS. IV. THE HEAD AND NECK. 

V. THE FORE QUARTERS.— VI. THE TROTTING HORSE THE ONLY BREED 

DISTINCTIVELY AMERICAN.- VII. WIDE DIFFUSION OF HIS BLOOD. VIII. 

HISTORY OUTLINED. IX. TROTTING EVENTS IN THE PERIOD OF DEVELOP- 
MENT. X. BREEDING AND TRAINING THE KEY-NOTE. 

This work does not contemplate giving an extended history of 
the horse, nor any further descriptions of the several breeds than 
the average farmer will care to have. As for the breeder, he can 
easily procure a separate and more elaborate work on almost any 
breed he may be interested in. 

I. The Thoroughbred a Composite Horse. 

There is no doubt that the thoroughbred is a composite horse, 
but for centuries bred in England, and for more than one hundred 
years in America. Bred for speed and endurance, he will, when 
properly trained, pull a heavier load for his weight, and at a faster 
speed, than any other horse extant. Although the thoroughbred has 
not the weight to make him available for heavy draft, the many ad- 
mirable qualities he has become possessed of, and his wonderful 
power of transmitting valuable qualities to other breeds, when crossed 
thereon, render him to-day the most valuable of the various breeds 
of horses in England or America. 

II. External Points. 

Hence it will be well to study the external points as given in the 
annexed cut, with the projjer term for each, 

47 



48 



THE AMERICAN FAKMEE'S HORSE BOOK. 




OUTLINE AND POINTS OF THE TIIOUOUGHBRED. 



1. 


Muzzle. 


2. 


Nostril. 


3! 


Forehead. 


4. 


Jaw. 


5. 


Poll. 




NECK. 


6. 


6. Crest. 


7. 


Thropplc or windpipe. 




FORE QUARTER. 


8. 


S. Sboulder-bladc. 


9. 


Point of shoulder. 


10. 


IJosoni or breast. 


11. 


11. True -arm. 


12. 


Elbow. 


13. 


Fore-arm (arm). 


14. 


Knee. 


15. 


Cannon-bone. 


IC. 


Back sinew. 


17. 


Fetlock or pastern-joint 


18. 


Coronet. 


in. 


Hoof or foot. 


20. 


Heel. 




150DY OR MIUDLEl'IE 


21. 


Withers. 


22. 


Back. 



23. 23. Ribs (forming together the bari 

rel or chest). 

24. 24. The circumference of the chest 

at this point, called the girth. 

25. The loins. 

26. The croup. 

27. The hip. 

28. The tlank. 

29. The sheath. 

30. The root of the dock or tail. 

THE HIND QUARTER. 

31. The hip-joint, round, or whirl- 

l)one. 

32. The stifle-joint. 

33. 33. I.ower thigh or gaskin. 

34. The quarters. 
3.5. The hock. 

36. The point of the hock. 

87. Tlie curb place. 

38. Tiie cannon-bone. 

39. The back sinew. 

40. Pastern or fetlock-joiut. 

41. Coronet. 

42. Foot or hoof. 

43. Heel. 

44. Spavin-place. 



A Comparative View. — As a companion to the above we give an 
outline view of the draft horse, ligured consecutively to correspond 



THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTING HORSES. 



49 



with that of the blood horse. As object lessons, the study of both 
these portraitures will be found instructive. 




OUTLINE OF DRAFT HORSE AND POINTS. 

III. Varying Standard for Different Breeds. 

The relative proportions of, and exact shape desirable in each of 
the points figured above, vary considerably in the several breeds. 
Thus, when speed and activity are required, an oblique shoulder-blade 
is essential; while for heavy harness it can scarcely be too upright, 
enabling the pressure of the collar to be more easily borne, and allow- 
ing the animal to exert his strength at right angles to its long axis. 
Many good judges of Hunters and Hacks are almost wholly ignorant 
of the qualities desirable in a coach or cart horse. There are some 
elements, however, wdiich are wanted in any horse, such as big hocks 
and knees, fiat legs with large sinews, open jaws and full nostrils. 
We will next give the points which are alwaj^s to be attended to, as be- 
ing of importance in any kind, whether used for racing or hunting, for 
the road or on the farm. 

IV. The Head and Neck. 
It should be known that the volume of brain contained within the 
head determines the courage and other mental qualities of the indi- 



THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTING HORSES. 51 

vidual. Without a wide forehead (which part marks the seat of 
the brain), you cannot expect a full development of those faculties 
known as courage, tractability, good temper, etc. The size of the 
muzzle is partly regarded as an element of beauty, and partly as a 
sign of high breechng. Hence, in the hea\y draft horse, a coarse jaw 
and thick muzzle are not regarded. A large and well-shown nostril 
cannot be dispensed with in horses intended for fast work, and should 
be desired even in the cart-horse, for in drawing heavy loads on a hot 
day, his breathing maj' be rendered almost as laborious as that of the 
highly-tasked race-horse or hunter. So also with the jaw, if there is 
not ample width between the two sides for the development and play 
of the larynx and wind-pipe, the wind is sure to be affected, and, in 
addition, the head cannot be nicely bent on the neck. A defect in 
this last point is the usual cause of that straight and inelegant setting 
on of the head which is so common, and which the practiced horse- 
man avoids, as alike unsightly and prejudicial to the wind and the 
mouth ; for a horse which cannot give way to the pressure of the bit 
is sure to become dull in his mouth, and, therefore, unpleasant to ride 
or drive. 

The Eye and Ear. — The eye is to be examined with a two-fold 
purpose : firstl}^ as an index of the temper, the nature of which is 
marked by the expression of this organ ; and secondly, in reference 
to its present state of soundness, and the probability of its continuing 
health3^ A full and clear eye, with soft, gazelle-like expression, is 
scarcely ever associated with a bad temper, and will most frequently 
continue sotind, if the horse is numao-ed as a horse ousfht to be. The 
ear should be of nieduun size, not too small nor too large, nor should 
it be lopped, though many lop-eared horses have been known, and 
some very superior breeds, like that of the celebrated Melbourne, are 
notorious for this defect. 

The Neck. — The neck should be of moderate length, all beyond a 
certain dimension being waste, and even a moderate-sized head at the 
end of an extremely long lever being too much for the muscles to 
support. It should come out full and muscular, with a sweep between 
the withers and the bosom, and should graduull_y diminish till it runs 
into the head, with an elegant bend just behind the ear. A verj^ nar- 
row throat suddenlj^ bent at the upper part, marked as thethropple, is 
apt to be connected with roaring, and on that account objected to by 
horsemen. 



52 THE AJMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

V. The Fore Quarters. 

In the fore quarters there are several points to be attentively ex- 
amined, and, among these, the shoulder is regarded as of most cons'e- 
quence, when the horse under consideration is intended for the saddle. 
It is evident that, unless there is length of the blade, and also of the 
true-arm, there cannot be a full surface for the attachment and play 
of the muscles, nor can there be the same amount of spring to take 
off the jar which follows each footfall. The straighter the angle 
formed by the long axis of each of these bones, the less spring there 
will be. So, also, if the angle is not sufficient, the muscles of the 
shoulder-blade Avill not thrust forward the true-arm, nor will the latter 
be suificiently clothed with muscles (without being loaded) to act on 
the fore-arm, more commonly known by horsemen as the arm. Hence 
it is found, that with an upright shoulder, not only is the stride in all 
the paces short and the action stumpy, but there is not that elastic 
movement which enables the horse to carry his body along rapidly 
and evenly, without rising alternately behind and before, and thereby 
jarring himself or his rider. On the other hand, the upright shoulder, 
loaded with a thick mass of muscles, is useful in the cart-horse, and 
to a certain extent, also, in the carriage-horse, in both of which the 
pressure of the collar requires a steady and comparatively motionless 
surface to bear it. 

Concerning the Hind Quarters. — If the fore quarters are good, 
the hind ones should T)e, and general!}^ are, the same. That excel- 
lence in the latter is just as important as excellence in the former, 
is indicated by the fact that the hinder parts are the real propelling 
machinery of the horse, no matter what his breed or his work. This 
subject will, therefore, be taken up in another chapter, devoted to a 
study of the standing and conformation of the horse, and showing, 
seriatim, every part of the body and limbs in detail. (See Chap- 
ter IX.) 

VI. The Trotting Horse the Only Breed Distinctively American. 

The Trotting horse has become as distinct and well developed a lirecd 
here as was the Thoroughbred originall}^ in Great Britain, In fact, 
he is the sole survivor of distinctively American breeds of horses, 
which at one liiiio imliidcd llu^ IMorgan, tho A'crmont Draft horse, 
the Concstoga horse of I'ennsylvania, the Canadian pony, the wild 
Mustang of the plains, and its wiry little relative, the Indian pony. 



THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTING HORSES. 53 

The Mustang of Spanish Origin. — The Mustangs were descended 
from the Spanish horses of an early day in Central America, that 
escaped from domestication, and finally reverted to the wild state, 
and in time occupied Mexico and Texas, and the great plains of the 
Southwest and California. They are virtually extinct, like their old 
companions, the buffalo, and have given place to better types, bred 
from the best blood of both the Old and New World. The Conestoo-a 
horse above named has likewise had his day, never to return. The 
vast railway system of the United States has rendered these once 
valuable breeds no longer useful. Instead, there has been called into 
existence the American Trotting horse. 

VII. Wide Diffusion of this Blood. 

The less valuable of this race are used for fast driving on the roads, 
by every class of citizens to whom speed and staying qualities are of 
value ; so that nov/, among the more wealth}^ farmers of the country, 
large numbers of horses, in whose veins flows the blood of the best 
trotters, crossed on suitable mares, are annuall}^ raised. Meanwhile, 
the stamina of the real trotting horse has been so improved b}' special 
breeders for the turf, that these horses are now sought b}^ the wealthy 
of every civilized nation, just as w^e still reinforce our racing blood 
occasionally from the best thoroughbred horses of England. 

The Pacing Horse. — Nor should the pacing horse be ignored. He 
stands in point of speed between the trotting horse and the thorough- 
bred. Pacers are not liked for the buggy or carriage, but are easy un- 
der the saddle and undeniably fast, and the time made by the pacer, 
Hal Pointer, at Chicago, while this book is being printed, has low- 
ered the pacing record to 2 : 05J which shows wonderful increase 
of speed. Whatever rnay be said about the equine race and pneu- 
matic tires to sulkies, it is evident that any owner having a horse that 
he thinks can beat this, may drive to the same kind of sulky. 

VIII. History Outlined. 

The trotting horse of America has been developed within the last 
fifty years, the Morgan being the first departure in this direction. 
Then came in an infusion of Canadian blood, and from various horses 
of Western orio;in that showed trotting stamina. Among these were 
the Gold Dusts of Kentucky, which owed their superior style, cour- 
age and speed to the Morgans in a good measure, as foundation stock, 
but really much more to some fortunate crosses of thorough-blood. 
Later, the wonderful blood of Messenger, Duroc and Bellfounder, 
through Hambletonian and other sires, completed the genesis of the 



54 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

American Trotting horse, and at this day the greatest performers 
ahnost universally trace back to some combination of these strains, 
but principally to the get of the mighty Hambletonian. We can sa}^ 
that, as a breeder of descendants of Messenger and Bellfounder many 
years ago, we never had a disappointing colt. They were mighty 
driving horses, of great bone, muscle and sinew, of great lung power, 
and, of course, of great endurance. 

IX. Trotting Events in the Period of Development. 

It will interest many of our readers to trace the development of the 
Trotting horse, as shown by the leading events of the American turf 
during rather more than thirty years up to 1856. 

In 1824, G. M. Giles trotted his horse 18 miles in one hour and 
iifty-seven seconds. The same year Topgallant and Betsj' Baker were 
matched to trot three miles in harness for $1,000 a side. The race 
was won by Topgallant by 40 yards, in 8 minutes, 42 seconds. Top- 
gallant also trotted 12 miles on the road in 39 minutes. The "Al- 
bany Pony" did a mile in 2 minutes, 40 seconds. The Treadwell 
mare did one mile in 2:34; and Boston Blue trotted 18 miles within 
the hour. Boston Blue is reported to have been the first horse that 
trotted a mile in three minutes; it having been done in 1818. So 
that it will be seen that the Treadwell mare in 1824 had reduced the 
time to 2:34. Yet for man}^ years after, a 2:40 horse was consid- 
ered extraordinary, as also was any horse capable of going on the 
road in 3 minutes. In fact three minutes on the road is better than 
2: 30 on a first class, modern track. 

In 1827, on the Hunting Park Association course of Philadelphia, 
Screwdriver won t\YO heats of two miles, beating Betsy Baker in 8:02 
and 8 : 10, the third best time on record. Dutchman afterwards ac- 
complished the same distance in 7 :32^, and Lady Suffolk in 7 :40i. 

In 1840, on the Long Island course, Jerry beat Whalebone in a 
three-mile trotting race, in 8:23 the first heat, and 8:15 the second. 
The best time for two-mile heats that year was 5:22, 5:21; for 3 
miles, 8:"2(j, 8:27, 8:41, 8:56. On long distances Sweetlirier accom- 
plished six miles in 18:52. 

In 1834 Kdwiii Forrest, as yet an unentered horse, trotted his mile 
in 2:31A, l)eating Sally Miller. The course was 1 mile and 10 yards 
in length. 

In 18;)5 nutc'hmaii made four miles, under the saddle, in 11 : lit and 
10:51, and Dolly, by Messenger, out of a thoroughbred mare, five 
miles to wagon, carrying two men, weighing 310 pounds, in 16:45; 
and immediately was started ao:ain to do 10 miles more, which she 



THOROUGHBREDS AND TROTTIXG HORSES. 



55 



accomplished in 34 : 07. The same year the horse Daniel D. Thomp- 
kins, under the saddle, trotted three-mile heats in 7 : 59 and 8 : 10. 

In 1842 Eipton beat Lady Suffolk, at three miles in harness, in 
5:07 and 5:17. 

In 1843 Lady Suffolk made mile heats in 2 : 28^, 2 : 28, 2 : 28, 2 : 29 
and 2:32, which was not again equaled until 1854, when this record 
was covered by Tacon}^ 




^^i».i-^£^^ 



A TYPICAL TROTTING HOUSE IN CONDITION. 



In 1844 Cayuga Chief made the first half-mile of a race in 1: 15, 
the fastest yet made in public; and Fanny Jenks accomplished 100 
miles in harness, in 9 hours, 38 minutes and 34 seconds. The slowest 
mile was done in (3:25 and the fastest in 4:47. At the end of the 
race this mare was driven an extra mile in 4 : 23. 

In 1849 Lady Suffolk trotted 19 times and won 12, beating Grav 
Eagle and Mac twice, Pclham live times, Lady Sutton twice. Trustee 
four times ; also beat Bhick Hawk, Gray Trouble, Plowboy and other 
horses. In this year a Canadian mare, Flv, is said to have been driven 



56 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK 

from Cornwall to Montreal, ninety miles, in 8 hours and 15 minutes. 
Fanny Jenks made 100 miles in 9 hours, 38 minutes and 34 seconds. 
Fannv Murray trotted 100 miles in 9 hours, 41 minutes and 23 seconds. 

In 1852 Tacony won 12 races, beating all the best horses of the 
day, making a single mile in 2:26; two miles in 5 : 02, and was 
beaten only twice. As a 3-year old, Ethan Allen trotted this year in 
3 : 20. Flora Temple this year won her first purse, on the regular 
turf, in 2:41. 

In 1853 the entire sporting interest was centered in Flora Temple 
and Tacony. Flora this year beat all the best horses of the day, 
winnino- seventeen times. Her best time at mile heats was 2:27, 
2 : 28, and at two-mile heats, 5 : 01^, 4 : 59. This year Tacony trotted 
a mile in 2 : 25^. 

In 1856 the contest lay principally between Flora Temple and 
Lancet. Flora made 11 races, winning 9, beating Lancet four times 
in harness, and Tacony three times in harness, Tacony going under 
the saddle. This yeav Flora Temple lowered the one-mile record 
to 2:24*. 

Trotting Achievements of To-day. — The trotting history of our 
own times is given at ample length, and in style most interesting, at 
the close of this volume, by E. B. Abercrombie, of New York City, 
editor of the '' Spirit of the Times." There is no higher authority 
on this subject than Major Abercrombie. 

X. Breeding and Training the Key-note. 

It is clear that if the English thoroughbred has now lost the 
trotting faciilt}^ it is not because it was never in him. It is 
really because, in England, the racer was never trained to trot, 
nor allowed to use his faculty therefor. It was left to "saga- 
cious Americans to develop this wonderful power in the Trotting 
horse of America," as the English writer, Herbert, so happily 
expressed it. Few horses could gallop far or fast without special 
trainino-. No horse ever won a o-reat race without previous special 
tests of his powers of endurance, after careful training. So no horse 
ever made an honest and fast trotter without the special blood ©f 
horses with the heredity of trotting sires, supplemented by long years 
of careful breeding and selection, and the most careful training, when 
of proper age, for the turf. And we repeat, the faster the horse, the 
faster must be his speeding to fit him for his best efforts. 



CHAPTER III. 
THE BREEDING OF HORSES. 



I. HOW EXCELLENCE IS ATTAINED. II. IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE TO BREED- 
ING ANIMALS. III. THE LAW OF SIMILARITY. IV. CAREFUL STUDY THE 

KEY TO SUCCESS. V. BREED TO THE END SOUGHT. VI. ABOUT FORM 

AND PROPORTION.— — VII. THE POINTS TO BE STUDIED ARE MANY. VIII. 

IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE. IX. STONEHENGE'S LAWS OF 

GENERATION. 

I. How Excellence in Breed is Attained. 

As preliminaiy to this subject, it may be well to state that the idea 
is prevalent among the masses that an}^ person can produce a new 
breed by crossing animals of two different types. Nothing could be 
wider of the mark. It has taken one hundred and fifty years to bring 
Short-horn cattle to their present perfection. The English breeds of 
sheep have special habitats, and have had for many generations in 
England. The great, or rather the final, improvement in all noted 
breeds, including the thoroughbred horse, has, indeed, been made 
within the last two hundred years, and especially within the last fifty 
years. It has been accomplished by starting with a good foundation, 
careful selection, and as careful breeding to line, or to animals having 
the precise characteristics intended to be perpetuated ; but before all 
this had come very many years of gradual hereditary improvement. 
The wonderful transmissive powers of the Percheron horse is due, in 
our opinion, principally to the fact that entire horses are largely used 
in France for labor. Hence the ease with which animals of great 
stamina may be selected for sires. Then, again, the breed, whatever 
may have been their origin, is kept pure, and not only are the horses 
but the mares kept steadily at work. 

II. Importance of Exercise to Breeding Animals. 

We hold to the idea of o-ivins; stamina to breeding animals. It is 

essentially necessar}^ that all animals destined for labor have constant 

and long continued exercise, and,webelieve, none the less necessary 

that every breeding animal should be in full vigor, though the exer- 

57 



58 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



cise must be different with different animal.s, according to the use for 
which they are intended. Some of our breeds of cattle and hogs are 
notably impotent, from lack of proper exercise of the sires and dams. 
To come back to the horse, our best breeders have come to recognize 
that both the stallion and the mare must have exercise in proportion 
to the work the colts are expected to perform. It is the fact that 
they appreciate that full exercise for the stallion, during the season 
of copulation, is absolutely necessary to insure vigor in the get. It 
is no less important to the mare while carrying the foal. 




A BREEDING STALLION (DRAFT IIOU'SE) READY FOR LICrllT EXERCISE. 

III. The Law of Similarity. 
It is difficult to make the average nuui believe that his judgment is 
not as good as that of any other man. Hence, the many mistakes of 
breeders. They all claim to breed only from the best, which is what 
the law of similarity teachos. But judgment errs. Why? Because 
the judgnuMit is not educated to the true perception of similarity. 
To illustrate: — The microscope, by enlarging an object, reveals feat- 



THE BREEDING OE HORSES. 59 

ures not apparent to the unassisted vision. Yet, to the uneducated 
eye, the microscope shows only one fact, the enhargement. The 
glass is said to have penetration, yet this penetration reall}^ lies in 
the education of the eye as much as in the clearness of the lenses. 
To the uneducated eye the animal fat from full feeding, sleek and 
glossy, seems perfect. The uneducated person hears experts speak- 
ing of an animal's fine handling. He, however, sees little or no dif- 
ference between any two fat animals. The expert judge most surely 
sees a difference, whether the beast be lean or fat; the handling is 
entirely different to the sense of touch, as the lean and fat are essen- 
tially different to the eve. These are points that cannot be learned 
by reading alone. Nor can they be learned simply by experiment 
and continued observation and reflection, except through an immense 
expenditure of time and labor. 

IV. Careful Study the Key to Success. 

By reading and comparing competent authorities, by giving atten- 
tion to actual differences, and the explanations of them, by acquiring 
an accurate knowledge of the anin\al structure, — by processes of this 
kind, the anatomical and physiological differences as between the 
superior and inferior become clearlj^ apprehended, because the judg- 
ment has been educated especially thereto. The mind has acquired 
powers of penetration, just as the eye of the accomplished micro- 
scopist acquires penetration by the aid of the microscope. To the lat- 
ter all is clear, however minute. He discriminates at once the blood 
globules of one animal from those of another, wool from hair, one 
integument or substance from another, all simply through educa- 
tion in this particular direction. Similarly, the careful thought and 
study of the breeder will enable him to determine whether a particu- 
lar sire or dam will be apt to throw certain peculiarities or disabilities ; 
much more surely, at least, than the individual wdio has only studied 
the animal economy from a superficial standpoint, no matter how crit- 
ically within his narrow range. 

Again, an animal will show weakness to the eye of an expert, not 
recognized, not taken in, b}'- the eye of a merely superficial observer. 
That is to say, an animal will show weakness to his educated senses 
that would pass entirely unobserved by one who had not critically 
studied the animal economy, in its scientific aspects as well as those more 
ordinarily apparent. Thus, to be successful, the breeder must care- 
fully study the best works relating to hygiene, sanitation, the pairing 



THE BEEEDING OF HORSES. 61 

of animals, the proper foods, and all the various elements of integrity 
in the animal economy. While it is impossible here to go into the 
subject exhaustivel}^, let these principles become fixed in mind and 
made the constant guide. A careful study of the various breeds, as 
illustrated in this work, will assist materially, so far as outward 
conformation is concerned, as a careful studj^ of the best living ani- 
mals will assist no less in penetration. 

Points to be Remembered. — While a correct knowledge of the 
animal structure and animal economy is especially necessary to the 
breeder, he should bear in mind that each animal must be judged, in 
many respects, by a different standard. Still, there are certain 
points always to be looked to. In the horse, style, bone, muscle and 
constitution, all are important, as indicating ability to perform labor. 
Quality is indicated by a rather thin skin, short, fine, smooth hair, 
and a lighter mane proportionally to the tail. On the other hand, a 
big-headed horse, for instance, with heavy-matted mane, may be set 
down as a Ioav bred, coarsely constituted brute, unworthy of much 
regard, no matter what the labor it may have to perform.. 
V. Breed to the End Sought. 

We have always held it as an axiom that the individual who under- 
takes to breed up from an inferior foundation stock, begins at the 
wrong end. In fact, he is going over the same ground that has so 
laboriously been gone over by the breeders of horses for the last five 
hundred j^ears ; for it has taken fully that length of time to secure 
hereditary characteristics, that now come measurably constant. The 
rule will apply to all other animals, as well as the horse. The most 
intelligent breeders, within the last one hundred years, have spent 
much labor in weeding out sires and dams subject to disease and dis- 
abilities, keeping in mind the impressive declaration of Youatt, writ- 
ten fifty years ago, that nine-tenths of the ills to which the horse is 
subject, are the result of hereditary influence. Only since the tru- 
ism that "like produces like," and hence "breed from the best," have 
come to be acknowledged, has steady improvement in breeds become 
the rule. 

Keep the Breed Intact. — There is still another fact that should be 
kept constantly in mind, which is that when a breed has been brought 
to a high state of perfection, it recpiircs as high skill to continue it on 
this high plane as it did to bring it there. The breeder who forgets 
this will learn to his cost how true it is. 



62 THE A3IERICAN FARMEE's HORSE BOOK. 

VI. About Form and Proportion. 

In breeding, a critical study must constantly be made of form and 
proportion in tlie horse, and their relations to the qualities to be de- 
veloped or kept intact. This is an absolute condition of success. 
The horse is an animal solely of labor, whether fast or slow. Hence 
a different standard must be adopted for each and every breed, ac- 
cording to its particular use — for instance, power in slow draft, or, as 
in the carriage horse, elegance in style. Not so much in these broad 
distinctions as in minuter yet highly important ones, does the modern 
breeder display the mastery of his art. For example, great muscular 
development, to speed him over the ground, is necessary to the run- 
ning and trotting horse alike; yet the peculiar development requisite 
in the one is not precisely the development to be sought for in the 
other. Hence the best and most perfect types of the several classes 
of horses should be studied as models. 

VII. The Points to be Studied are Many. 

Not every man is capable of doing what we have recommended, for 
only a comparatively few persons in each generation have the eye to 
detect minor defects in form and carriage, and especially wdiat are, 
to the many, the hidden disabilities of the animal organism. But 
these are far from the only points which the skillful breeder will con- 
sider. Any breeding horse or mare, to pass muster with him, must 
have, for instance, good digestion. The heart action and that of the 
lungs must be as perfect as possible ; the bones hard and tough ; the 
sinews tense, and the hoofs sound; the muscles lirm, large and pro- 
portioned for the w^ork to be done ; and no less will the intelligence 
of the animal be looked to. Even the manner of getting up and lying 
down will be scrutinized and noted. 

The Arab Maxim. — The Arab maxim is that the foal follows the 
sire. In the breeding of half-bloods for nuirket, the mare whose 
foals bear the stamp of the sire is invaluable. It Avill, therefore, be 
well to bear in mind Eev. W. H. H. Murray's six rules in breeding. 

Murray's Six Rules. — They are: first, pedigree; second, size; 
third, color; fourth, health ; fifth, teinperanunit ; and sixth, speed. 
Now again, in relation to speed, this is a quality quite as vahial)lc in 
the draft horse as in the racer; for the horse that will pull a given 
load at a faster walk than another is altogetiicr the more valuable an- 
imal. Another thing in this connection shonld be kc[)t in mind, and 
that is a bad feeder never can be a superior horse. The horse which 



THE BREEDING OF HORSES. 63 

eats a full feed slowly, not greedily — unless very hungry — is gener- 
ally a iior.se of perfect digestion. 

VIII. Importance of Accurate Knowledge. 

We might pile up statistics without number, showing how heredity 
affects animals and human kind, generation after generation, not only 
as regards diseases inherited, but also vices, lack of courage, and every 
disability which the race is heir to, and this sometimes after several 
generations have passed during, which heredity has apparently re- 
mained latent. To gather in a nut-shell what may be applicable in 
the entire range of breeding, the sixteen rules of Stonehenge will 
prove most valuable to every breeder, whether of the horse or any 
other animal. They are as follows : 

IX. Stonehenge's Laws of Generation. 

1. The union of the sexes is, in all the higher aninuxls, necessary 
for reproduction ; the male and female each taking their respective 
share. 

2. The office of the male is to secrete the semen in the testes, and 
emit it into the uterus of the female, in or near which organ it comes 
in contact with the ovura of the female — which remains sterile with- 
out it. 

3. The female forms the ovum in the ovary, and at regular times, 
varying in different animals; this descends into the uterus, for the 
purpose of fructification, on receiving the stimulus and addition of 
the sperm-cell of the semen. 

4. The semen consists of two portions — the sj)ermatozoa, which 
have an automatic power of moving from place to place, by which 
quality it is believed that the semen is carried to the ovum; and the 
sperm-cells, which are intended to co-operate with the germ-cell of the 
ovum in forming the embryo. 

5. The ovum consists of the germ-cell, intended to form part of 
the embryo, and of the yolk, which nourishes both, until the vessels 
of the mother take upon themselves the task; or, in oviparous ani- 
mals, till hatching takes place, and external food is to be obtained. 
The ovum is carried down by the contractile i)o\ver of the fallopian 
tubes from the ovary to the uterus, and hence it does not require 
automatic particles like the semen. 

G. The embryo, or young animal, is the result of the contact of 
the semen with the ovum, immediately after which the sperm-cell of 



64 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

the former is absorbed into the germ-cell of the latter. Upon this a 
tendency to increase or *'grow" is established, and supported at first 
by the nutriment contained in the yolk of the ovum, until the embryo 
has attached itself to the walls of the uterus, from which it afterward 
absorbs its nourishment by the intervention of the ^^Zacen^a. 

7. As the male and female each furnish their quota to the forma- 
tion of the embryo, it is reasonable to expect that each shall be rep- 
resented in it, which is found to be the case in nature ; but as the food 
of the embryo entirely depends upon the mother, it may be expected 
that the health of the offspring and its constitutional powers will be 
more in accordance with her state than with that of the father; yet, 
since the sire furnishes one-half of the orighial germ, it is not sur- 
prising that in externals and general character there is retained n. fac- 
simile, to a certain extent, of him. 

8. The ovum of mammalia differs from that of birds chiefly in 
the greater size of yolk of the latter, because in them this body is 
intended to support the growth of the embrj^o from the time of the 
full formation of the egg until the period of hatching. On the other 
hand, in inammalia the placenta conveys nourishment from the in- 
ternal surface of the uterus, to the embrj^o during the Avhole time 
which elapses between the entrance of the ovum into the uterus and 
its birth. This period embraces nearh^ the whole of the interval be- 
tween conception and birth, and is called utero-gesiation. 

9. In all the mammalia there is a periodical "heat," marked by 
certain discharges in the female, and sometimes b}' other remarkable 
symptoms in the male (as in the rutting of the deer). In the former 
it is accompanied in all healthy subjects by the descent of an o'sum 
or ova into the uterus ; and in both there is a strong desire for sexual 
intercourse, which never takes place at other times in them (with the 
single exception of the genus Bimana). 

10. The semen retains its fructifying power for some days, if it 
is contained within the walls of the uterus or vagina, but soon ceases 
to be fruitful if kept in any other vessel. Hence, although the latter 
part of tlic time of heat is best for the union of both sexes, because 
then the ovum is ready for the contact with the semen, yet if the se- 
men reaches the uterus first, it will cause a fruitful impregnation, be- 
cause it renuiins there (or in the fallopian tubes) uninjured, until the 
descent of the ovum, 



THE BEEEDING OF HORSES. 65 

11. The influence of the male upon the embryo is partly depend- 
ent upon the fact that he furnishes a portion of its substance in the 
shape of the sperm-cell, but also in a great measure upoii the effect 
exerted upon the nervous system of the mother by him. Hence, the 
preponderance of one or the other will, in great measure, depend upon 
the greater or less strength of nervous system in each. No general 
law is known by which this can be measured, nor is anything known 
of the Liws which reguLate temperament, bodily or mental power, 
color or formation, of the resulting offspring. 

12. Acquired qualities are transmitted, whether they belong to the 
sire or dam, and also both bodily and mental. As bad qualities are 
quite as easily transmitted as good ones, if not more so, it is necessary 
to take care that in selecting a male to improve the stock he is free 
from bad points, as well as furnished with good ones. It is known 
by experience that the good or bad points of the progenitors of the 
sire or dam are almost as likely to appear again in the offspring as 
those of the immediate parents, in which they are dormant. Hence, 
in breeding, the rule is that like produces like, or the likeness of some 
ancestor. 

13. The purer or less mixed the breed the more likely it is to be 
transmitted unaltered to the offspring. Hence,, whichever parent is 
of the purest blood will be generally more represented in the offspring ; 
but as the male is usually more carefully selected and of purer blood 
than the female, it generally follows that he exerts more influence 
than she does ; the reverse being the case when she is of more un- 
mixed blood than the sire. 

14. Breeding "in-and-in" is injurious to mankind, and has always 
been forbidden by the Divine law, as well as by most human, law- 
givers. On the other hand, it prevails extensively in a state of na- 
ture with all gregarious animals (such as the horse), among whom the 
stronijest male retains his daughters and grand-daughters until de- 

~ 

prived of his harem by younger and stronger rivals. Hence, in those 
of our domestic animals which are naturally gregarious, it is reason- 
able to conclude that breeding "in-and-in" is not prejudicial, because 
it is in conformity with their natural instincts, if not carried further 
by art .than nature teaches by her example. Now, in nature, we find 
about two consecutive crosses of the same blood is the usual extent to 
which it is carried, as the life of the animal is the limit; and it is a 



66 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

remarkable fact that, in practice, a conclusion has been arrived at 
which exactly coincides with these natural laws. "Once in and once 
out," is the rule for breeding given by Mr. Smith in his work, on 
breedino; for the turf ; but twice in will be found to be more in ac- 
cordance with the practice of our most successful breeders in the 
foundino; of distinct breeds or varieties. 

15. The influence of the first impregnation seems to extend to the 
subsequent ones. This has been proved by several experiments, and 
is especially marked in the equine genus. In the series of examples 
preserved in the museum of the College of Surgeons, the markings 
of the male quagga, when united with the ordinary mare, are contin- 
ued clearly for three generations beyond the one in which the quagga 
Avas the actual sire ; and they are so clear as to leave the question 
settled without a doubt. 

16. When some of the elements of which an individual sire is 
composed are in accordance with others making up those of the dam, 
they coalesce in such a kindred way as to make what is called a "hit." 
On the other hand, when they are too incongruous, the result is an 
animal wholly unfitted for the task he is intended to perform. 



CHAPTER IV, 

THE HORSE AT REST AlTD IN MOTION. 



I. THE horse's attitude IN STANDING. II. MODE OF PROGRESSION. III. 

THE WALK. IV. GOOD AND BAD WALKERS. V. THE TROT. VI. THE 

CANTER. VII. THE HAND GALLOP. VIII. THE EXTENDED OR TRUE 

GALLOP. -IX. HOW TO JUDGE A HORSE. 

Concerning the attitude of the horse when at rest, and his action 
in motion, nothing better has ever been written than by Stonehenge. 
Space is hicking here to quote all that he has written on these sub- 
jects, nor is it necessar3^ We present a sufficiently full synopsis to 
completely cover his ideas. 

I. The Horse's Attitude in Standing. 
Standing may be considered under two heads, the first comprising 
the attitude naturally assumed by the horse when inclined to rest 
himself, and the second that forced upon him by education, for the 
sake either of appearances, or to keep him ready to start at a mo- 
ment's notice, as in the cavalry horse. When standing free or nat- 
urally the horse always rests one leg, and that generally a hind one, 
changing from one to the other as each becomes tired in its turn. 
In the forced attitude all four are on the ground, and each supports 
its share of the superincumbent weight. In either case the different 
joints are kept from bending, by the almost involuntary combined ac- 
tion of the flexor and extensor muscles, which will keep him standing 
even in sleep, in which respect he differs from the human subject. 
The oblique position of the pasterns affords a considerable aid, but 
without the semi-involuntary support afforded by the muscles the 
stifle and hock joints behind, and the shoulder and elbow before, 
would inevitably give way. 

II. Mode of Progression. 
In moving forward, whatever the pace may be, the hind quarters 
are the main propellers, and thrust the body forward on the fore legs, 
which serve as imperfect segments of wheels, each in its turn making 

67 



68 THE AMERICAN FAEMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

a revolution forwards and backwards through a segment of a circle, 
like a pendulum. This forward motion is either effected by one hind 
leg at a time, as in the ^valk, trot, amble and rack, or by the two, 
nearly if not quite synchronously [at the same moment], as in the 
canter, gallop, and leap. In any case, the hind legs (or leg) must 
be drawn forwards under the body, or the body thrust backwards 
upon them, when a contraction of various muscles tends to straighten 
them, and as they are fixed upon the ground, which acts as a fulcrum, 
the body must give Avay, and thus passes forward with a speed and 
force proportionate to the muscular power exerted. In the various 
paces this mechanical action is differently effected in detail, but the 
principle is the same in all those contained in each class alluded to. 
In the first, the weight is borne by the hind and fore quarters be- 
tween them, while propulsion is effected by one side of the former; 
but, in the second, it is taken at intervals by the fore and hind limbs, 
the latter propelling it with great force, and the former serving as 
props to it when it comes to the ground from the air, and also caus- 
ing it to rebound for another interval of time. All these points will 
be made clear by the illustrations we give. 

III. The Walk. 
In examining the order of sequence in which the feet are taken off 
the ground, it appears to me that a very simple matter has been con- 
verted into a complicated one; for this is a question that has led to 
discussions without end. No one with a grain of obser\ation can dis- 
pute that all the four legs in this pace move separately, and not, as 
in the trot and amble, by twos of opposite or the same sides. 

Any one Avho examines the action of the feet of one side only will 
have no difficulty in perceiving that the hind foot is raised from the 
ground and moved forward for half its stride before the fore foot is 
disturbed, the same order being observed on the other side in succes- 
sion. Hence, if the horse is started from the standing position with 
all the feet on the ground, it follows that he must begin with a hind 
foot, because with whichever of the sides he starts he lifts the hind 
foot half a pace before the fore foot, as is admitted by Percivall him- 
self, for he says, "the latter (fore foot) would often get struck by 
the former (hind foot) did it not quit its place immediately prior to 
the other l)cing placed upon, partly or entirely, the same ground." 
It is verv ditlicult to convey a correct idea of this fact by illustration, 
bcc.'iuse the eve has become accustomed to the erroneous view which 



THE HORSE AT REST AND IN MOTION. 



69 



is conventionally received by artists. However, we are enabled to 
present the following engraving, which, though apparently awkward 
and ungraceful, is literally correct. Here the near hind foot (1) is 
just about to be i^laced on the ground, on the spot which the near 
fore foot (2) has just left. The off hind foot (3) will f oIIoay next in 
succession, and lastly the off fore foot (4) svill complete the cadence. 
But if each fore foot leaves the ground just as the corresponding hind 
foot is finishing its stride, it follows, as a matter of necessity, if the 
action is carried on throughout in the same way, that in starting 
from a point of rest the hind foot of one side or other is the one to 




4 2 1 

STARTING FOR THE WALK. 



begin the walk. Next follows the fore foot on the same side, then 
the opposite hind foot, and lastly the fore foot of the opposite side. 
The order of progression, be it observed, is the same, whether the 
description commences with the hind or fore foot, and the argument 
is, after all, of little consequence; but the truth is really, as was ob- 
served by Borelli, that the hind foot is the first to move when the 
horse starts into a walk from a state of rest in which all four feet are 
placed as in ordinary standing. There may be positions in grazing 
where the fore foot advances first ; but then the pace cannot be con- 
sidered as the customary walk. 



70 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



In the cut, "Eeceived Interpretation of the Walk," the horse is 
represented in the manner usually accepted by artists, Avith the near 
fore foot (2) in the air, and apparently leading off. But as the hind 
foot must of necessity start first, although this engraving affords to 
the eye of the observer the most graceful and striking -position which 
is taken up in the walk, }' et it is not the one with which the horse 
commences that pace. Here the near hind foot (1) has alread}^ been 
brought forward and placed on the ground, on or near the spot occu- 
pied by the fore foot, which is in the air; the hind foot (3) is just 
about to leave the ground, having expended its share of progressive 




2 4 1 

KECEIVEP INTERPRETATION OE THE WALK. 



force, and the weight of the body is borne by the off fore foot and 
the near hind one. Whenever a fore foot starts first (which, as 
already remarked, may occasionally crccur, a.";, for instance, in graz- 
ing, or when the weight is unnaturally thrown upon the fore (juarters), 
the attitude is most constrained, and the proper sequeiu'c, or cadence, 
if th(> animal is forced into a ((uickcH* iiace, is not fallen into A\illi()ut 
a most grotes(juc degree of rolling, which con\evs to the eye a full 
idea of the forced nature of the pace. 

I have thus endeavored to show (and it is the most simple mode of 
describing the pace) that, as a rule, when the horse is starting from a 



THE HORSE AT REST AND IK MOTION, 



71 



state of rest into a walk he commences with one of the hind feet, the 
particular one chosen being that Avhich at the time bears the least 
weight of the body upon it. Next follows the fore foot of the same 
side, then the opposite hind foot, and lastly the fore foot also of the 
opposite side. When once it is shown that the hind foot almost 
touches the heel of the foot which precedes it, before the latter is 
raised, of which a moment's observation will satisfy any careful ob- 
server, the order of sequence becomes clear enough, and, as I set out 
with observing, a subject which is generally made extremely compli- 
cated becomes as simple as possible. In nine hundred and ninety-nine 




2 4.1 

EXCEPTIONAL MODE OF STARTING. 



cases out of a thousand the horse starts on a walk with a hind foot, 
and the only exception is when he is, from circumstances, at the time 
in an unnatural attitude. 

IV. Good, and Bad Walkers. 
Writers on the horse divide each movement of the leg into three 
acts, consisting of the lift, the swing, and the grounding. In the 
first act, the foot is raised; in the second, it is thrust forward; and 
in the third, it is firmly but lightly deposited on the ground. But 
these may severally be well performed, and jet the horse be a bad 
walker, because his body is not well balanced on the legs in contact 



72 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

with the ground while the other or others are moving, A good 
walker should take short quick steps, with his hind legs well under 
him, and then he will be able to plant his fore feet firml}^ bnt lightly 
on the ground in succession. If his stride is too long, his hind legs 
cannot be always well under him, because they must be Avide apart 
when both are on the ground; and the body cannot then be balanced 
securely, because there is too long an interval elapsing while the one 
hind leg is passing the other. Hence, in such a horse, there is a wad- 
dlino; movement from side to side, sa often seen in the thorouohbred 
horse, whose full tail shows it very manifestly, but whose rider feels^ 
the inconvenience much more clearl}^ than it is seen by the uninter- 
ested looker-on. The clever hack, on the contrary, moves forward 
without his body deviating a hair's breadth from the line in which it 
is progressing, neither undulating to the right and left, nor up and 
down. The rider of a first-rate hack should be able to carry a full 
glass of liquid in his hand for an}^ distance without spilling a drop ; 
and if the action on the walk is not smooth enough for this, it cannot 
be considered as approaching to perfection. 

Many horses step short and quick, 3^et do not walk well, because 
their shoulders have not liberty enough to thrust their arms forward 
while swinging the leg; and hence the pace is slow, for the foot is 
put down very near to the spot whence it was lifted. In choosing a 
good walker, therefore, see that his. feet are lifted smartly; that they 
are well thrust forward, and placed firmly but lightly on the ground. 
Look at him well from behind, and obser^'e whether he hits himself 
on the fetlock joints as one foot passes the other; and at the same 
time examine whether, as he lifts his fore feet, he turns them out, or 
"dishes," which is a very serious fault, in consequence of the loss of 
time Avhich it occasions. In most horses the hind foot oversteps the 
place from which the corresponding fore foot has been removed; but 
in a good hack this shoukl not exceed an inch, or the pace will not be 
smooth and smart, as I have already observed. Very few Avalkers 
actually touch one foot with the other, as in the trot, nor do they 
overreach with violence so as to injure their heels; the only objec- 
tion, therefore, is to the length of stride, Avhieli I have sho^vn to pro- 
duce an uneasy effect upon the rider. But whenever the horse ap- 
pears to move as if his fore feet are in the way of the hind, he will 
rarely, even with the best tuition, become a pleasant and safe hack. 



THE HORSE AT EEST AND IX MOTION. 73 

The Rate of Walking. — This is very seldom five miles an liom% 
though horses are to be found which will cover the distance in that 
time, or even less. Many will do a mile in twelve minutes and a half ; 
but to get beyond this is a very difficult task. Indeed, there are few 
horses which in their walk will bear pressing to the utmost speed of 
which they are capable, without breaking. It may, I think, be 
assumed, that the average pace of good walkers is about four miles 
and a half to four miles and three-quarters per hour. 

V. The Trot. 

This pace may be described under three heads, namelj^, the jog 
trot, the true trot, and the flying trot. In all three the diagonal 
limbs move exactly together ; but in the first, the time during which 
each foot is on the ground, is much greater than that in which it is in 
the air. In the second the contrary is the case; while in the third 
the horse is carried completely off his legs for a considerable space of 
time, between the several bounds which are made by the two feet of 
opposite sides as they touch the ground in succession. The jog trot 
seems to come naturally to the horse when he is first mounted; and 
as long as he is fresh and fiery, the colt will maintain this pace, unless 
he is permitted to exceed it. He will prefer it to the walk for a long 
time; and it is only by good hands, combined with patience, that a 
spirited colt can be made to walk; for he can generally jog quite as 
slowly, and often much more so. . Farmers are very apt to accustom 
their young horses to the jog trot, because they find by experience 
that it does not injure their legs or feet; but to a rider unaccustomed 
to this pace, it is by no means an easy one. In the true trot, as ex- 
emplified below, the feet are on the ground a comparatively short 
space of time, the body being carried so rapidly forward that they 
are moved off almost as soon as they are deposited on it. By ex- 
amining this outline, it will be seen that the position of the fore and 
hind limbs of the two opposite sides exactly correspond, and this will 
be the case, whatever may be the period of the action in which the 
observation is made. 

Trotting Action. — Very fast trotters are rough in their "feel" to 
the rider, and are not suited for the purposes of pleasure. Indeed, 
no one would mount one of them from choice ; but when they possess 
good mouths, they are pleasant enough to drive. In examining 
trotting action, regard should be paid to the plane through which 
each limb passes, for if this is not parallel with that of the medium 



74 



THE a:sierican farmer s horse book. 



line of the body the action is not true and smooth, and there is great 
risk of one hnib cutting the other. This is best seen by watching 
the trot from behind as well as before, which gives an opportunity of 
investigating the movements of both pairs of limbs. Ever}^ horse 
should be so made that, when 4ie stands, his fore cannon bones should 
be quite parallel; but in order to be so, as they stand closer together 
than his elbows, they must form a slight angle with the arm at the 
knee; and hence, as this part is bent, there is alwa3^s a slight tendency 
to turn out the foot, the exaggerated form of which is called "dish- 
ing." The observer will, therefore, do well to ascertain the extent 




ACTION IN THE TRUE TROT. 



to which this should be carried, or he will be apt to condemn a per 
feet goer as a "disher," from finding that he turns out his toes in 
bending the knee, though only in the trilling degree ordained by 
nature. If, in bending by the hand the fore foot to the elbow, the 
inner heel of the shoe is in contact Avith the outside of the arm, there 
will not be too much turning out of the foot, and the purchaser need 
not be afraid of this defect existiriii' in tiie horse he is examinino-. 
Provided the fetlocks and cannon ])ones are not actually touched or 
"hit" in trotting, the fore legs cannot be moved too closely together; 
but if they pass very near to one another in a fat dealer's horse, it 
maybe suspected that when he is reduced in Hesh to a proper working 



THE HORSE AT REST AND IN' MOTIOlsr. 



75 



condition, boots will be necessaiy. A practiced eye is required to 
judge of this correctly, and, if there is any doubt, some one of ex- 
perience had better be consulted. 

VI. The Canter. 

The canter is a thoroughly artificial pace, at first extremely tiring 
to the horse, and generally only to be produced in him by the re- 
straint of a powerful bit, which compels him to throw a great part of 
his weight on his haunches. It is very difiicult to describe or define 
this pace, either in a pen-and-ink sketch or by the aid of a painter. 
Sometimes the carriage is extremely elegant, the hind legs well under 




THE CANTER. 



the body, and all moving like clockwork, with the head bent on the 
neck, and the mouth playing lightly on the bit. When such a pace 
is performed with the right leg leading, the canter is exactly adapted 
for the female seat, in which the right shoulder is of necessity slightly 
advanced, and it is, therefore, the object of the breaker to obtain it. 
But it is only in those horses which combine a free use of their limbs 
with fine temper and good mouth, that such a pace can be developed, 
and if any one of these qualities is deficient, it is useless to attempt 
to teach them. On the other hand, the pony will often canter with- 
out throwing any extra weight on his hind legs, with a loose rein and 



76 THE AMERICAN FARMER* S HORSE BOOK. 

extended neck. This kind of pace may be detected by the ear on a 
turnpike road, by the quick pat-ter-ring sound which is evolved. It 
is extremely easy to the horseman, but is not so well adapted to 
female equestrianism, as it jerks the body in an ungraceful manner. 
The cut gives a graphic idea of the attitude of the horse in this gait. 

VII. The Hand Gallop. 
Between the canter and the true gallop there intervenes a pace 
which may be easily confounded with either. The pace is merely a 
slow and measured gallop, in which, for a very short period, all the 
legs leave the ground, but in which the propulsion is steadily given, 
and not with those snatches or jerks which are necessary to develop 
the high speed of the extended gallop. The bodj^, also, is not nearer 
the ground than in the act of standing, and this may be considered as 
one of the best distinctions between the hand gallop and the extended 
stride of the faster pace. The French writers distinguish between 
the two by asserting that in the hand gallop there are three beats, 
while in the flying gallop two only are performed; but in practice 
there is no such variation. 

VIII. The Extended or True GaUop. 

Not a Mere Succession of Leaps. — According to most observers, 
this pace is a succession of leaps, smooth!}' and rhythmically per- 
formed, but Mr. Percivall has shown that there is a considerable dif- 
ference between the two actions. He says : "In galloping ahorse, 
in hunting, for example, the rider needs no person to tell him of the 
moment when his horse is taking a leap, however trifling it maj'^ be; 
his own sensations inform him of ever}^ grip or furrow his horse 
leaps in his course, and should he have occasion to make a succession 
of such jumps, the rider's sensations in his saddle are of a vary 
different — very uneasy — kind, compared to such as he experiences 
during the act of galloping. This arises from two causes, from the 
spring or movement of the body necessary to produce the leap being 
more forcible or sudden than that required for the gallop, and from 
the latter being created and continued rather by the successive action 
of the two hind feet at one moment, and of that of the two fore feet 
at the next moment, than from the synchronous efforts of either 
biped, as happens in the leap. The two great propellers of the ani- 
mal machine — the hind feet — are in the leap required to act simul- 
taneousJi/, to make one grand propulsorj" effort; not so in the gallop. 



THE HORSE AT REST AND IN MOTION. 



77 



that being a moveiuent requiring maintaining, not by simultaneous 
exhausting efforts of the hind feet, but in swift succession, first by 
one, then by the other; and the same as regards the office performed 
by the fore Umbs, which latter probably amounts to little more in 
effect than the sustentation of the fore parts of the body. The vault 
into the air required for the leap is only to be effected by extra- 
ordinary subitaneous effort, but the stride of the gallop, requiring 
frequent repetition, does not exact this effort — amounts, in fact, to 
no more than a sort of lift from the ground, multiplied into a reiter- 
ation of forcible bearings forward, maintaining, increasing, or dimin- 
ishing the momentum of speed, effectuated by throwing the hind 
feet as far forward underneath the body as possible, plunging them 
one after the other with inappreciable rapidity into the earth, and 




RECEIVED INTERPRETATION OP THE GALLOP. 



thus by two strenuous thrusts against the ground, one in aid of the 
other, working the animal machine in its fleet — almost flying — course. 
In the gallop as in the trot, no sooner is a certain momentum acquired, 
than by each successive propulsion of the hind feet the body is sprung 
or lifted off the ground, flying as it apjiears in the air, and the greater 
the speed, the more this volitation becomes apparent. Hence the 
appellation given to the pace, manifestly the utmost speed, of fljdng 
gallop. Even this, however, according to my judgment, is an action 
different from leaping. When a horse leaps or jumps in his gallop — 
which he will do sometimes when he is quite fresh and has just 
emerged out of his stable — he is said to buck, because his action then 
resembles that of the deer, in Avhom the gallop might, with a great 
deal more propriety, be called a succession of leaps ; even the deer, 



78 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

however, cannot continue this bucking action after being driven into 
his speed, or in a state of fatigue, showing that in him it is to be 
regarded rather as a gambol than as his proper working onward 
action. And that the hind and fore feet in pairs are not grounded 
synchronously, I think, admits of a demonstration in two ways : first, 
by the position they assume one in advance of the other in the gallop ; 
secondly, by the clatter the steps of a horse in the gallop are known 
to make upon hard or resonant ground, and which may be heard 
either by a spectator or by the rider himself. Whence we probably 
derive the phrase, a rattling gallop. 

Pictorial IVIisrepreserTtation. — To represent the gallop pictorially 
in a perfectly correct manner is almost impossible. At all events, it 
has never yet been accomplished, the ordinary and received interpre- 
tation being altogether erroneous. When carefully watched, the 
horse in full gallop will be seen to extend himself very much, but not 
nearly to the length which is assigned to him by artists. To give the 
idea of high speed, the hind legs are thrust backward and the fore 
legs forward in a most unnatural position, which, if it could be as- 
sumed in realit}^, would inevitably lead to a fall, and most probabl}" to 
a broken back. It is somewhat difficult to obtain a good view of a 
horse at his best pace, without watching him through a race-glass at 
a distance of a quarter of a mile at least, for if the eye is nearer to 
him than this, the passage of the body by it is so quick that no analy- 
sis can be made of the position of the several parts. But at the 
above distance it may be readily seen that the horse never assumes 
the attitude in which he is generally represented, of which an example 
is given. When the hind legs are thrust backwards, the fore feet are 
raised and more or less curled up under the knees, as it is manifest 
must be the case to enable them to be brought forward without 
raising the body from the ground. In the next act, as the hind feet 
are brought under the body the fore legs are thrust straight before it; 
and so whichever period is chosen for the representation, the com- 
plete extension so generally adopted must be inaccurate. It nuiy be 
said that this is meant to represent the moment Avhen all the feet are 
in the air, and theoretically it is possible that there may be a time 
when all the feet are extended; because, as in the fast gallop, the 
stride is twenty-four feet long, Avhile the horse only measures sixteen 
from foot to foot, it follows that he must pass through eight feet 
without touching the ground, and during that time, as of necessity, 



THE HORSE AT REST AND IN MOTION. 



his legs iiiust move faster than his body, the fore legs maij change 
their position from the curled up one described above to the extended 
one represented by all painters as proper to the gallop. Observation 
alone can, therefore, settle this question. 

As to the Leg that Leads. — As in the canter, so in the gallop, a 
lead is alwaj's made of one leg before the other, and as one tires the 
other changes places with it. A good, true, and strong galloper will 
seldom require this relief; but a weak one, especially if not com- 
pletely broken, will effect the change continually. Sometimes this 
causes the loss of a race, for it cannot be done without interfering 
with the action, and consequently with the pace. A good horseman 
prefers that his horse should not confine himself to one lead, but 
he does not like him to change after he has once started, for the 




CORRECT VIEW OF THE GALLOP. 

above reason. The right leg in front is more easy even to the male 
rider than the left, but not materially so, and, except for female 
equestrianism, no horse should be taught to lead invariably with the 
right leg either in the gallop or canter. In the change the truth or 
harmony of action is often disturbed, and the horse jerks himself and 
his rider in a disagreeable manner, which is another reason why the 
change of legs should not be encouraged. 

Length of the Stride. — There is a great variation in the length of 
the stride, and in the rounding or bending upwards of the foot under 
the knee. Sometimes even in a fast gallop the distance between the 
prints of the same feet will be no more than sixteen feet, while in 
others it will measure twenty-four, twenty-five, or even twenty-six 
feet. The first is too short for any race horse; but a moderately 



80 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

short stride enables the horse to get off with a quicker start, and to 
ascend and descend hills better than a very long one. Where, how- 
ever, a distance of level ground is to be covered, a long stride tells, 
and a horse possessing it has a great advantage over one whose gallop 
is short, however quick and smart it may be. For this long stride 
there must be length of limbs, especially of the two bones meeting at 
the stifle joint. [The trotting stride of Nancy Hanks, who, within 
twenty-four hours of the time we read the proof of this chapter, be- 
came Queen of the turf, is nineteen and three-ciuarters feet,] 

IX. How to Judge a Horse. 
A very carefully considered scale for judging horses at fairs was 
adopted by the State Agricultural Society of Maine in 1892. The 
total number of "points" is 100, distributed as follows: 

Eyes — Prominent, clear, intelligent and expressive 4 

Head — Wide apart between the eyes,- ears well apart, of fair size 
and indicating energy, clean-cut jowl, large, delicate nostrils, 

well-rounded lower jaw, and tine, tirm lips 7 

Neck — Symmetrical in length and proportions, graceful and clean 

cut at throttle 5 

Shoulders — Fat and oblique for drivers, well-rounded and straight 

for draft, strong at base and well finished at withers 3 

Chest — Deep, full and prominent, good width o 

Forearm — Well formed, strong and muscular 3 

Barrel — For drivers, deep and well-rounded, with long, springy 
ribs ; round, with short ribs for draft, deep through the loins, 

back short and strong ^ 3 

Coupling — Smooth, strong and extending Avell forward over the 

point of the hips 5 

Quarters — S^'mmetrical, nottoosloping,well rounded and nuiscular. 4 

Tail — Long, full, bone straight, well set, and tine in (juality. ... 2 
Stifles and Gaskins — Muscular, with good length of bone between 

joints for drivers, and short for draft 4 

Hock — Sound, strong, not too great an angle, free from meatiness. 7 
Knees — Neither sprung or calf-kneed, broad, straight and strong, (i 
Cannons — Flat, broad, smooth , fine (lualify , yet abundant substance. 3 
Pasterns — ^Muscular, good length, sound, and for drivers at an an- 
gle of forty-iive degrees ; for draft shorter and stronger 3 

Feet — Medium height, round, free from contracted heels, of good 

material, with full elastic frog 8 

Color — Solid l)ay or seal brown, the staiulard 4 

Size — 15 to IG hands and well proportioned, the ideal standard. ^^ 

Coat — Glossy, fine and short 2 

Sul)stance — Symmetry, each 4 -'^ 

Action — Easy, elastic, pure, straight and even <^ 

Style — Position when standing, and carriao-e when in motion. • . . "^ 

Total structure.' ' . H)0 



CHAPTEE V. 
HYGIENE, FOODS AND EXERCISE. 



I. PRACTICAL VALUE OF HYGIENIC KNOWLEDGE. II. ABOUT PERFECT FOODS 

AND SHELTER. III. THE HORSE'S STOMACH AND DIGESTION. IV. OATS. 

V. HAY. VI. STRAW. VII. GREEN FORAGE. VIII. CORN. IX. 

ARTIFICIAL AND CONDIMENTAL FOODS. X. WHAT CONSTITUTES GOOD CARE. 

XI. GOOD SHELTER IS TRUE ECONOMY. XII. EXERCISE IS INDISPENS- 
ABLE. XIII. COMFORTABLE BEDDING. XIV. CLEANING THE HORSE. 

XV. KEEP THE STABLE CLEAN. 

I. Practical Value of Hygienic Knowledge. 

The phj^sician's art consists in saving life and mitigating suffering. 
Jt is wise economy to have liim use all possible means to effect these 
ends, and to bring about a healthful reaction as quickly as possible. 
In the ordinar}' routine of farm life, so far as affects the care and con- 
dition of stock, all methods — not merely medicines, but all changes 
in the food, etc., — should have a similar object in view. All means 
used to revive the animal integrity after exhaustive labor ; condition- 
powders, gruels, mashes, grooming, exercise, foods, discrimination 
in the use of animals at labor, clothing, warmth, cleanliness in the 
stable — all these are strictly hygienic topics. Drainage, ventilation, 
deodorization, disinfection, fumigants and other practical means em- 
ployed for either preventing or curing disease in the stable, — these, 
while truly belonging to hygiene, are generally treated of in its special 
division of sanitation. 

Scientific is also Practical Wisdom. — Just as in medicine, all dis- 
eases may be classed as curable or incurable, so likewise may they 
be in veterinary affairs ; and, inasmuch as the proportion of curable 
ailments may be much increased through hygienic and sanitary meas- 
ures, and by manual and artificial appliances, an accurate knowledge 
of these things is at once scientific and practical wisdom of the high- 
est value. The term "scientific," b}'' many uncultivated persons is 
looked upon as synonymous with "impracticable," as properly at- 
taching only to mere theorizers, to book-worms, or the abstrusely 
learned. This is a false conception entirely. Science is as practical 
6 81 



82 THE AIMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

as it is noble. In fact science consists, is made up, of simple, proven 
facts, properly grouped and classified. 

Artificial Life Promotive of Disease. — In a state of nature, the 
man (savage) and the animal (wild) are subject to only a few dis- 
eases. Both die more often from the Avant of food, from exposure, 
and the disabilities thence arising, than from all other causes com- 
bined. It is artificial life and its surroundings that multiply the 
forms of disease both in the human and the brute. It is the pride of 
the physician to combat and cure disease acquired by infringement of 
natural laws, and of the surgeon, by mechanical art and scientific 
manipulation, to heal both outward and internal injuries from 
violence. But it is certainly a step in advance, if w^e may be able to 
reduce the liability to disease and injury by preventive measures. 
We believe this may be done Iwgienically with animals, equally with 

humanity. 

II. About Perfect Foods and Shelter. 

Two of the most important subjects connected with hygiene are the 
questions of perfect foods and proper shelter from the weather. As 
regards the former, milk is a perfect food, that given by nature for 
the sustenance of all animals in the earlj period of life. In the rear- 
ing of all young animals, the adaptability of the food must be care- 
fully considered. The nutrition must be well sustained. If not, the 
digestive functions soon become disordered, and the young animal 
pines, or if his mistreatment continues may even die. As he grows, 
he must not be confined to one single food, else all parts are not prop- 
erly nourished, but as the frame becomes mature, foods containing 
more fat in proportion to the nitrogen may be more and more largely 
used, especially with those whose fiesli is intended for food. For- 
tunately the cereal grains, in connection with grass and hay, contain 
all the elements necessary. It will be of great advantage to any 
farmer or stock-raiser to understand these simple facts, and take 
scientific principles — that is, the laws of nature — for his guide. 

The protection of animals against cold is another consideration too 
often slurred over. For animals conlined altogether in stables, ex- 
cept when in service, proper stable-drainage and ventilation are of 
prime importance. They should, in fact, be studied by every person 
who has farm animals under his charge. Hence we shall devote a 
special chapter to the construction of stables a little further on. 



alffllii:!''! 




''''Mm' 



mim 






83 



84 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

III. The Horse's Stomach and Digestion. 

A knoAvledge of the various qualities of food, and tlie forming of 
perfect foods, should constitute another of the acquirements of the 
breeder and feeder. Improper feeding is one of the gravest evils 
connected with the care of horses. The horse has a small stomach 
for an animal so large, usually holding fourteen or fifteen quarts. 
The stomach of Eclipse held but sixteen quarts, though the largest 
yet measured by scientists. Is it any wonder that, fed a peck of dry 
oats at a meal, often in the morning when the stomach is partially 
filled with hay, the horse should suffer agony from undue distension 
of the stomach through the swelling of the grain? Must it not 
plainly be seen that by giving large quantities of w^ater immediately 
after heavy feeding with crude food, the latter will be washed far 
into the intestines, causing serious complications, often death? 
Digestion in the horse may go on continually, and when doing fast 
or exhaustive work he may profitably be fed four or five times a day. 
When on grass, the animal must needs be eating a large part of the 
time, to properly supply his system with nourishment. The rapidity 
of a horse's digestion is only equaled by his power of assimilation. 
He has the bile-making gland, but no means of storing it. Hence it 
is poured directly into the stomach, that digestion may continually 
go on, as well as assimilation. 

To Know Sound Foods. — It is worth much for the horse owner 
to know how to distinguish sound from unsound food. In the care 
of the horse, except in city stables, he is nearly always fed on whole 
grain and hay not chopped. Hence it is well to know the character- 
istico of the ordinary foods of the horse. 

IV. Oats. 

Let us first take oats. If good, they are clean, hard, dry, sweet, 
have almost a metallic luster, and, when poured down on thefioor, rat- 
tle like shot. The pressure of the nail on a kernel will be strongly 
resisted. When pressed between the teeth, the kernel should not 
mash or tear, but chip. The skin should be thin, and here it may be 
remarked that white oats generally haAe a thinner skin than black 
oats. Bearded oats have an excess of husk. Short oats are plumper 
than long oats, but oats are not necessarily bad because they are 
l)eardcd, or tliick-skinned; yet the}' contani less nutriment to the 
measured bushel. Good oats are without smell, except that new oats 
have an earthy odor. The flour has a taste of milky sweetness. 



HYGIENE, FOODS AND EXERCISE. 85 

Damp oats are objectionable ; soft at first, they at length, get musty. 
Musty oats are totally unfit for food, often poisonous from fungus 
growths formed on the inner skin. The same maybe said of mouldy 
oats. In their case, decomposition has already taken place. 

V. Hay. 

For horses in ordinary work twelve pounds of hay per day is suf- 
ficient. It is commonly thought that horses at hard work should be 
limited in regard to hay ; but if such work horses are every day al- 
lowed as much oats as they will eat, it is unnecessary and injudicious 
to put an arbitrary limit on their hay. Practically it will be found 
that horses, which are not limited in regard to oats, will not usually 
consume above six pounds of hay per day. Good upland hay should 
be moderately fine, somewhat hard, sweet smelling, and well saved. 
The color should be green, and should convey an idea of newness. 
Very little heating or fermentation should have taken place in the 
stack. Some slight heating is, however, almost unavoidable if the 
crop is cut early, as it ought to be, whilst the juices are still in the 
grass; or, in other words, before it has run to seed. The slight heat- 
ing will prevent the best early-cut hay from being very green. 

VI. Straw. 
Straw may be economically used as a part of the daily ration when 
clean and bright. Wheat and rye straw are best; next, oat straw. 
Its chief use, however, is as bedding. Long straw looks nicely, but 
straw broken up somewhat by tramping, is better. Horses should 
have a bed at least six inches thick. This is economical, too, since 
no more is soiled than when little is given. 

VII. Green Forage. 
Green forage is laxative and cooling, and, therefore, well suited for 
sick or young horses, especially when first taken up from grass. The 
quantity given to the latter should be gradually diminished, as the 
system becomes accustomed to more stimulating diet and the Avarmth 
of stables. Green forage, for horses in fast work, is very liable to 
cause bowel complaints. From its bulk and laxative action it mili- 
tates against the hard condition necessary for fast or full work. It is 
not, however, objectionable for horses whose work is slow; yet it 
causes even these to sweat unduly. 

VIII. Corn. 
The supposed danger to stock, especially young stock, from feed- 
ing on corn, has been a favorite hobby of some writers. It is doubt- 



86 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

less true that young animals fed wholly on corn would show lack of 
bone and muscle, and especially impaired digestion. But it is equally 
true that bad results would follow an exclusive diet of grain. Oats, 
when used in connection with hay, are undoubtedly the best grain 
that can be fed to horses ; but while oats are so much more costly 
than corn, as they generally are, throughout the Central and West- 
ern States, in these regions they can never be their main article of 
diet. It is, therefore, a satisfaction to know that ordinar}^ farm- 
horses are not injured by having a good deal of corn in the aggre- 
gate of the year's feed. The point to be watched is to see that their 
corn diet is not too nearly exclusive, or too continuous, but that it is 
combined, or at frequent intervals is varied, with grain, or mashes, 
green forage of some kind, or a run at pasture. For colts, and old 
horses that have lost wvawj of their teeth, corn ought always to be 
ground. For horses in their prime, and in good health, our exper- 
ience has been that it does not pay to grind when corn is selling at 
less than about sixty cents a bushel, as such animals masticate their 
food pretty thoroughly. 

IX. Artificial and Condimental Foods. 

All food, to be useful, must supply the special nutrient materials 
required by the particular animal. For most horses the ordinary ar- 
ticles of food, hay and oats, answer best. Some animals, however, 
have delicate digestions, others are troubled with want of appetite. 
Stomachics mixed with the food of the one may assist digestion , and ton- 
ics may be useful to the latter. In animals, as in men, it sometimes 
happens that there is some want of nutrition in some part of the sys- 
tem, which must be supplied before the animal will thrive or put on 
flesh. A harsh coat, for instance, indicates a want of oil}^ material 
in the sj^stem, which may often be beneiicially supplied by giving 
boiled linseed. In other cases the special want may be of fibrinous 
material in the blood, and then doses of iron will be useful. These 
instances will suffice. 

After a severe debilitating illness,, when the system is thoroughly 
exhausted, nothing will be found to answer better than a quart of 
strong beef soup daily, either given as a drink, or mixed with the 
feed. The same recipe will in some cases, but not in all, answer in 
putting flesh on a horse, which, though in good health, remains per- 
sistently thin. 

Most of tiie artificial or patent foods advertised are compounded of 
a great number of stimulating and fattening ingredients, by means of 



HYGIENE, FOODS AND EXERCISE. 87 

some one of which the special need of the system may very possibly 
be supplied. But it is well to remember that most artificial stimu- 
lants cease to have any effect after a time. The chief objection to 
the use of artificial foods is the first cost. Condimental foods should 
be compounded by the veterinarian, or under his direction. Thus 
purity is secured, and, more important still, you know of what they 

are composed. 

X. What Constitutes Good. Care. 

What we have to say under this head will apply to animals gener- 
ally. In the case of farm animals, there are three principal integers 
in good care, viz : 1. Kindness. 2. Shelter from storms. 3. Exer- 
cise which stops short of over-work. The neglect of any one of these 
is sure to entail loss. The most important, after selecting the breed 
intended to be perpetuated, is kindness in the management. It may 
be repeated that no brutal man ever gets the best results from his 
investment, neither does the slipshod man. Cruelty keeps stock ex- 
cited and fearful, provokes combativeness as the result of fear, and 
impairs digestion and assimilation. Under such conditions, no animal 
will fatten, nor cow give a full flow of milk, nor horse perform a 
maximum amount of work for the food given. 

XI. Good Shelter is True Economy. 
If the animal be not kept comfortable, the food given it will fail to 
perform its ofiice in just proportion to the extremity of the cold. In 
a still atmosphere, the animal carries an envelop of heat from the 
body within the hair. A blanket assists in this conservation of heat. 
In proportion as the animal is exposed to storms, and especially to 
the force of the wind, will this bodily heat be lost or carried away. 
In severe exposure, it is only a question of time when the sj^stem must 
succumb, and death ensue. Not that the open air in winter is neces- 
sarily against the health of farm stock. Protection against wind be- 
ing provided for, they will go nicely through even severe weather. A 
barn where every draft of air blows through is worse than a tight 
shed open on one side, if the direct pressure of wind therein is pro- 
vided against. Why? The inmates can move about freely, and thus 
keep up the circulation of the blood. But, of course, a warm yet 
well ventilated stable will be found the most economical throuohout 
the whole West and North, and particularly so as we go far north. 

XII. Exercise is Indispensable. 
The third requisite, exercise, is no less important, for without it 
the digestive organs soon become inactive. But the standard of ex- 



88 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

ercise for one class of animals by no means applies to all. The horse 
requires the most exercise, sheep come next, and then cattle, while 
the animal requiring the least exercise is the hog. Dairy cattle re- 
quire more exercise than fattening cattle; the horse of fast work 
more than the draft horse; breeding stock of all kinds more than 
fattening animals. 

Amount of Exercise. — Without exercise the system is never up to 
the requirements of the owner. No driving horse should have less 
than five miles of exercise every day. Then he will be able to re- 
spond to the calls of his master on the road, allowing that his driv- 
ing is pretty regular, say three or four times a week. For fast driv- 
ing:, the exercise must be correspondingly fast; but so far as exercise 
is concerned, the animal never need be put to his speed, except under 
the care of an experienced driver, who, of course, will be an expe- 
rienced horseman. 

XIII. Comfortable Bedding. 

There are three other integers in the care of stock that it will be 
pertinent to mention : a soft bed to lie on, grooming, and the absence 
of animal odors in the stable. In regard to the first, if an animal 
does not lie easily, it cannot thrive, and to allow comfort he must 
have plenty of bedding. Nor is anything lost by this. The liquids 
{jre the essence of the manure. Plenty of bedding takes this up and 
holds it. No more will be defiled with heavy bedding than with light 
bedding. If material is scarce, the moist portions may be dried by 
exposure to the air, and thus the power of absorption be regained. 
It is, therefore, unwise economy to stint the bedding. Trj^ Ij'^^g" <^i^ 
a board yourself, as compared with a soft mattress or feather-bed, 
and see how it feels. The animal is no less susceptible to comfort 
than yourself. Notice how, when choice is permitted him. ho will 
always seek a soft, Avarm place to lie on in winter, and a smooth, 
elastic turf in summer. To promote his comfort is not only a ques- 
tion of mercy, but also of direct profit in dollars and cents. 
XIV. Cleaning the Horse. 

Grooming will be considered in detail in the next chapter. It is 
absolutely necessarv when aninuils are confined in stables. "Where 
they are thus kept, the hair does not accjuire extreme length. Groom- 
ing cleanses the skin, excites the capilhirics to action, and induces 
circulation of the blood to the surface. The animal economy is, there- 
fore, kept intact. If allowed to run constantly out of doors, the hair 
becomes long. Nature provides a scurf at the surface which forms 



HYGIENE, POODS AND EXERCISE. 89 

an air-cushion, in connection with the long hair, to prevent the dis- 
sipation of animal heat. Sometimes toward spring this scurf may be 
seen rising above the skin; in the end, it is cast off with the old coat. 
Exercise, in a measure, compensates grooming, as it keeps the pores 
of the skin open, and promotes circulation at the surface, though not 
to so great a degree as by grooming in the stable. It is found that 
the grooming of animals kept constantly in the open air is not to 
their advantage. There they have the chance to rub, which they are 
sure to do whenever there is clogging of the pores, the itching being- 
accompanied with more or less irritation of the skin. This condition 
is constantly seen in swine and other loose-haired animals. 

Misuse of Cold Water. — Cold water in cleansing the horse from 
dirt and sweat is generally mistisedAYelvdYe many times seen a brutal 
stableman dash pailful after pailful of cold water over a horse's limbs 
to wash off tlie dirt, lead him to the stall, and leave him still dripping. 
We have seen ahorse, reeking with sweat, dashed with cold water over 
the back, and the suffering brute placed in a draft of air to cool off. 
And why? Simply because the human brute was too lazy to scrape 
him off, lightl}^ blanket him, and lead him about until properly cooled. 

XV. Keep the Stable Clean. 

The absence of odors in the stable touches strongly on hygiene, 
as, in fact, do all the topics of this chapter, for hygiene simply 
means whatever tends to conserve the health and integrity of the 
animal. It is well known that the excreta of any animal, and the 
odors thence arising, are offensive to it, and hence inimical to its 
health. The animal excrement should, therefore, be removed fre- 
quently, and covered up or deodorized. The putrifying of any animal 
or vegetable substance in a close atmosphere favors the development of 
bacterial germs that may cause blood diseases or blood poisoning. 
Hence, the only safe rule is to destroy all offensive odors in the stable. 

Cheap Deodorizers, — Gypsum (ground land plaster) sprinkled 
liberal!}' about will absorb and deodorize liquids. A solution of sul- 
phate of iron (copperas) will destroy .offensive odors. Both are 
cheap. Their use, in connection with a thorough cleaning of the 
stable daily, and with plenty of bedding, will do the work. As re- 
marked previously, there is no better place for loose straw than under 
the horse as bedding. It will soak up and retain much liquid matt^er. 
And here it may be remarked that no wise farmer will allow the 
liqnid portions of manure to go to waste, for it is the soluble portions 
that are far the most valuable in all manures. The other portions 
are chiefly valuable when converted into mold (humus). 



CHAPTER VI. 

STABLE CARE, WATER AND MANAGEMENT. 



I. THE USE AND ABUSE OF WATER. 11. HORSES LIKE CLEAN WATER. III. 

USE COMMON SENSE. IV. CLEANING THE LIMBS. V. CURRY COMB AND 

BRUSH. VI. CLEANLINESS OF THE SKIN. VII. LOOK WELL TO THE EX- 
HAUSTED HORSE. VIII. TEMPERATURE OF THE STABLE. IX. SADDLE 

HORSES. X. PACERS. 

I. The Use and Abu^e of Water. 

As to the water which the horse drinks, its quality and quantity, 
and tlie time when given him, are matters of great importance. 
Water, as naturally drank by animals, is that of pools and running 
streams. When obtained from such sources it is measurabl}^ soft, or 
at least does not contain nearly as much mineral (inorganic) matter 
as that of wells and springs ; for the results of numerous experiments 
show that running water is constantly diluting the organic and in- 
organic remains taken up by the water of percolation. Such water is 
vastly better for animals than that of any arttlicial reservoirs that 
may be contaminated by drainage of yards or sewage. We also know 
that the water of artesian or other wells from which surface drainage 
is excluded, and also of natural springs, is nearly always excellent. 

Our opinion is that more of the every-da}'' disabilities of farm an- 
imals arise from abuse of the use of water than from any other one 
cause. Let us take the horse. His stomach holds almost four gal- 
lons, or an ordinary pail-full. If he drinks more at any one time, he 
drinks too nuich ; yet when kept from water till very thirsty, he will 
sometimes drink three pailfulls. If he has water whenever he wants 
it, which is the ideal method, one or two gallons will suttice. If he is 
thirsty and be given water after eating, the quantity not necessary to 
properly moisten the food will be passed beyond the stomach, carry- 
ing with it the undigested food. Every farmer's boy knows the dis- 
tressing consequences that are apt to follow. 

Chill from Drinking. — There is less risk of chill from drinking 
cool water when the body is still actively warm than when the system 
has begun to liag. When the horse is thoroughly tired out, 1lic water 



STABLE CARE, WATER AND MANAGEMENT. 91 

should be made slightly tepid, or a bucket of warm gruel be given in- 
stead. In such cases, there may not be sufficient vitality to raise a 
large quantity of cold water to the temperature of the body, and 
there is danger that he will become chilled, and his bowels deranged; 
and if this experience is often repeated, his coat will stare, and 
further serious results may ensue at any time. 

II. Horses Like Clean Water. 

It is very commonly but erroneously supposed that horses prefer 
muddy to clean water. The fact is the horse prefers soft water to 
hard, and will drink indifferent soft water in preference to what is 
clearer looking but hard. But he will never choose bad soft rather 
than good soft water, nor bad hard than good hard water, except in 
so far as all hard water becomes more or less soft by standing and ex- 
posure to the air. Hard water, containing an excess of saline and 
mineral substances, does not, as a rule, agree as well with horses as 
the soft water of a river or pond, because it tends to produce irrita- 
tion of the mucous membrane of the bowels. A change from soft to 
hard water is pretty sure to cause intestinal derangements. This ex- 
plains why, in the case of valuable turf horses, water is often carried 
about with them in moving from place to place. If bad water is 
boiled before being given to the animals, it will generally prevent in- 
jurious consequences. Horses liable to scour should never be given 
full drafts ; the rule for them should be small quantities and fre- 
quently. The reason for this is that the smaller quantities of water 
lessen the secretions of the intestines, and to that extent decrease 
the tendency to purgation. 

III. Use Common Sense. 

As a rule, three times a day is sufficient to offer water to a healthy 
horse in winter. Some persons think that twice or even once a day 
at that season will do just as well, but in this practice they are running 
unwise risks ; the horse drinks too much, and if the water is at or near 
freezing point, the system becomes chilled, often producing serious 
difficulties. 

The Summing Up. — To sum up the whole matter of watering 
horses, the rational practice is to let them have the opportunity of 
drinking sufficiently often to prevent their becoming very thirsty and 
drinking to excess. In hot weather, and during active exertion, 
horses enjoy, and are the better for, a draught of water at intervals 



92 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

of two to four hours. On their return from work, they should have 
the opportunity of drinking, and unless abstinence has been pro- 
tracted, or they are much fatigued or overheated, or constitutionally 
delicate, there is no need to restrict them. Cold water does not harm 
them, except in cold weather, Avhen a proportion of hot water should 
be run into the horse's trough, or the water, in backets, first placed 
for several hours somewhere that will take the chill off. Eefreshed 
by his drink, the horse will feed better than if he proceeds to his 
meal thirsty and languid. Water him first, and feed him afterwards. 
To postpone watering until after feeding has the serious disadvange, 
before adverted to, of washing the recently-swallowed, imperfectly- 
digested food with abnormal rapidity onward through the large end 
of the bowel, called the blind gut, or cul de sac, thus checking diges- 
tion, and giving rise to irregular fermentation, and inducing colic and 
other ailments. Although he may advantageously have a few sips 
after feeding, a horse should not then be allowed to gulp unlimited 
quantities of water, and, indeed, will not care to do so, if his thirst 
was quenched before he began his meal. For horses, as well as their 
masters, the best arrangement is to have water accessible for use in 
reasonable amount at all times. 

IV. Cleaning the Limbs. 

We do not hesitate to say that more distress and disability is occa- 
sioned in the North by the use of cold water in washing the limbs 
of horses when muddy, from November to April, than by any other 
one abuse. Man}^ persons suppose that, as the limbs are already Avet, 
more Avater can do no harm; but it should be remembered that, 
though the limbs are muddy, the}' are not necessarily wet or cold at 
the skin. Indeed, the}' seldom are. How, then, are we to clean the 
limbs? Our practice always has been to place the horse in the stable, 
loosely bandage the limbs when wet, and when dry, clean thoroughly 
with straw wisps and brush. When a horse is once accustomed to 
the use of a rather stiff broom, this forms an excellent addition to 
the implements for cleaning. Most horses, however, seem nervous 
over its use upon the limbs at first. For removing sweat and nmd, a 
short-handled broom is almost indispensable. 

V. Curry Comb and Brush. 
The curry comb should never be used about the limbs, unless by a 
very soft hand, for no other can use it without danger or inconveni- 



STABLE CAEE, WATER AND MANAGEMENT. 93 

ence to the animal. Its place may well be supplied by the use of a 
broom-corn brush. The sole uses of the curry comb are to lightly 
raise and loosen the sweat and scurf of the fleshy portions of the 
body, and as a means of cleaning the brush, the latter being the real 
instrument of utility in cleansing the body. The currj^ comb should 
be laid flat and carried lightly in a succession of curves, until the dust 
and scurf is free, and then the brush will thoroughly cleanse the body 
and hair. The final operation is to wipe the coat with a slio;htly 
dampened cloth, and then polish with a dry one. The head, limbs 
and other hairy parts must be more lightly brushed. No two horses 
can be handled precisely alike in cleaning, and the stableman should 
be instructed to understand and humor the peculiarities of each 
animal. The skin of the horse is peculiarly sensitive. If the groom- 
ing is conducted without pain, the horse soon comes to enjov the 
operation. Especial care, tact and delicacy are necessary in oroom- 
ing nervous, high-strung animals. They will fight against pain, and 
what is more natural? Half the vices of horses, we believe, are con- 
tracted by a want of intelligent treatment in the stable. 
VI. Cleanliness of the Skin. 

In regard to the skin of the horse and its proper care, we quote 
some excellent remarks by General Sir F. Fitzwygram, one of the 
latest and best British authorities. 

"Grooming, or, in other words, cleanliness of the skin, is not, as 
many suppose, a mere matter of appearance, or of a rouoh or smooth 
coat; it is essential to the general health and condition of the domes- 
ticated animal. By work, and especially by fast work, the secretions 
of the glands of the skin are enormoiasly increased. Furthermore 
the horse which is worked hard must be fed on highly nutritious 
food; and from this cause, also, the secretions of the skin are laro-ely 
increased. Nature must be assisted by artificial means to remove 
these increased secretions, or the pores of the skin will become cloo-o-ed 
and the health will be deteriorated. 

"The greater the action of the skin, the greater must be the atten- 
tion paid to it. As long as the horse remains in a state of nature 
taking only the exercise required for gatherino; his food, and feedino- 
only on laxative diet, grooming is not needed, because the debris of 
the food and the excretions of the system are carried off mainly by 
the action of the bowels and kidneys. The horse, Avhose work is 
slow, can get on with comparatively little grooming. The horse of 



94 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

fast work, on the other hand, whose whole system is developed to the 
utmost, requires much more grooming than is necessary for carriage 
and ordinary riding horses. 

Perspiration. — "It has been said, and probably correctly, that a 
horse in hard condition and hard work gives off through the pores of 
the skin, or, in other words, by means of the sweat glands, during the 
twenty-four hours, an amount equal to that excreted as dung. 

"Excretion of worn-out materials through the skin, of course, goes 
on in some degree in the horse in a state of nature; but the full de- 
velopment of these glands is only produced by hard work, high feed- 
ing, and grooming ; they are then excited to a greater degree of en- 
ergy than exists or is required in a state of nature; artificial means, 
or, in other words, means greater than those supplied by nature, 
must be put in action by man in order to maintain the health of the 

skin." 

VII. Look Well to the Exhausted Horse. 

In the country, when the horses are put in the stable, perhaps wet 
and muddy from a storm, or sweating and exhausted with hard driv- 
ing in the winter, the farmer is apt to think that they should be 
cleaned at once. But this is well nigh an impossibility. The most 
that can be done is to make them comfortable. If they are sweating 
or wet with rain, scrape the body, blanket them, put on the hood, 
lightly bandage the limbs to prevent chill, and if signs of exhaustion 
are present, give a light stimulant, to be followed later with a warm 
mash, or the usual feed, as circumstances may dictate. Thus the an- 
imal will generally be recuperated by morning, and ready for his 
grooming. 

Under all circumstances, the owner should study to keep his horse 
comfortable. lie ought to know Itoio to do this, or, in other words, 
be educated as to the animal's proper care. For instance, a horse 
driven until heated, should not be left, even in the summer, without 
a cover, and never in a draft of air. In cold weather he should never 
be allowed to stand in the free air without warm clothing, and after 
brisk driving should be covered as completely as possible. 

VIII. Temperature of the Stable. 

The horse is a native of a Avarm climate, and l)()th tlirives and puts 
up flesh in warnilh. His food will go further, and his coat will look 
better, in a warm than in a cold stable. In spring, autumn and win- 



STABLE CARE, WATER AND MANAGEMENT, 95 

ter a stable should be kept as comfortably warm as possible, without 
making it close and offensive. Warmth is good for horses, but purity 
of air is more essential. Good air must never be sacrificed to warmth. 
Cold air will but produce a staring coat, whilst foul air is the ready 
parent of disease. The best test of the purity of air in a stable is the 
sensation felt on first going into it from the external air; and the 
best time for testing the sufficiency or otherwise of ventilation is the 
early morning, before the stable has been cleaned and aired. 

IX. Saddle Horses. 

Our saddle horses should not go unnoticed. There is a constantly 
increasing demand for elegant horses of easy and trained gaits. The 
thoroughbred sire here again is the basis of excellence. They are 
produced by thoroughbred sires elegant in form and light in the fore- 
hand, upon roadsters and pacing mares not fast enough for the trot- 
ting ring. They bear the same relations to our tastes that the English 
hunter does to that of the gentlemen in England. There will be a 
constantly increasing demand for this class of horses, the stouter for 
gentlemen's use, and the lio;hter and more elegant for ladies. The 
increasing wealth of the country will demand this class of horses more 
and more. To-daj^ they are among the highest priced horses we 
have, outside the fast ones of the turf. 

X. Pacers. 

The last eight or ten years has produced a wonderful impetus in 
the breeding of pacing horses. We believe pacing to be more a mat- 
ter of training than anything else, although the hereditary inclination 
to pace is too distinctly marked in breeds, or rather strains, in various 
countries, and even in some wild horses of the plains, to doubt its 
hereditary character. Fast trotters have been made fast pacers by 
training, but the evidence is still stronger which shows that a pacer 
may be also made to trot fast. The pacing gait is the fastest gait of 
the horse except running, as is evidenced in the time of Little Brown 
Jug and his successors; wonderful indeed when we consider the 
small number of pacers in comparison with that of trotters. (See 
Major Abercrombie's tribute near the close of this work. ) 



CHAPTER VII. 

TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 



I. CONCERNING THE EMPLOYMENT OK FORCE. II. THE LESSON OF SUBSERV- 
IENCY. III. DOCILITY THROUGH TRAINING. IV. USE THE WHIP WITH 

DISCRETION. V. INTELLIGENT RESTRAINT. VI. ANIMAL LANGUAGE. 

VII. GENTLING AND TRAINING THE COLT. VIII. USE OF THE VOICE 

AND OF SIGNALS. IX. SPECIAL MODES OF HORSE TAMING. X. RA- 

REY'S THREE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES. XI. RAREY'S APPARATUS. 

XII. THE STRUGGLE DESCRIBED. XIII. THE TAMER'S VICTORY. XIV. 

DR. WALSH'S SUMMING UP. XV. RAREY'S FAVORITE HALTER. XVI. A 

BIT OF HISTORY. 

I. Concerning the Employment of Force. 

It has taken our race a Ion 2: time to understand that the inferior 
creation can be managed by more inteUigent means than by the em- 
ployment of brute force, acting upon the terror of the animal. Even 
to-day, more than three-quarters of our domestic animals are subdued 
through the power of fear alone, rather than by the superior mind 
force of man over the brute, or, in other words, than by the exercise 
of the former's superior intelligence. That force is necessary, the 
force of mechanical appliances, we all admit and act upon. It is the 
brutal use of mechanical force that is to be deprecated. 

The original idea conceived by man seems to have been the use of 
the tail as a means of draft, and probably clubbing or goading from 
one side or the other when the animal deviated from the proper line. 
Then the loop around the jaw was invented, and the bridle of to-day 
is the result. Yet the horse is fully as capable of understanding the 
wishes of his master as the dog. In fact some nations, as in Norwaj^, 
employ the voice almost solely, and the Arabs depend more upon 
the voice than upon the bit. Shall we, then, discard our appliances 
and introduce these other methods of management? By no means. 
They would not subserve our requirements. Yet Ave may combine 
other intelligent means with those we have. Neither spur nor whip 
is needed to cause the horse to exert his utmost power. This is 
shown in many cases well authenticated. It is seen continually in the 

96 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 97 

best management of our trotting horses, and occasionally in the 
handling of horses of very nervous temperament by some mild- 
mannered man, who has redeemed animals so frantic under torture as 
to render them, for the time being, insane. 

II. The Lesson of Subserviency. 

To render an animal perfectly subservient to the will of man, he 
must never have been allowed to know that his strength is superior 
to man's. To do this, he must be taken in hand while young. The 
fable of the woman who practiced carrying the calf every day, and 
was thus enabled to still carry the animal when it had grown to be a 
cow, is but an illustration that it is simply training, education, that 
conquers. The colt taught to walk quietly by the side of the trainer 
by means of the simple halter, alwaj^s remains in quiet subjection. 

There are plenty of persons to-day who hold that no handling of a 
horse should occur until of an age suitable for continuous labor. They 
are mistaken. The intelligent trainer knows that the animal's educa- 
tion should commence while it is yet running with the dam. The 
principal reason why dogs are so tractable and amiable, so devoted to 
their masters, is that they are, in a sense, made the companions of 
man while yet very young. Their dependent familiarity becomes 
hereditary, and a strong part of the animal nature. This indication is 
shown in the horse of the Arab, which is dependent, and familiarh^ 
so, on the master. The Indian horse is the reverse. To the Arab the 
horse is the best gift of God, and its docility is the result of many 
generations of careful care and attention, while the Indian manage- 
ment of the horse is simply a counterpart of what he sees in the con- 
flict of savage animals. 

III. Docility Through Training. 

The humane treatment of animals under training will more and 
more promote their complete subservience to man ; and in respect to 
docility through training, the horse is really the most intelligent of 
the domestic animals. The vicious and stubborn characteristics shown 
by some horses are more the result of heredity through generations 
of cruel mismanagement than of orijiinal inherent viciousness. In 
fact, we can trace it thus, if we choose, as between the Arab and the 
Indian horse, and as between the English and the American colt. 
The greater tractability and freedom from vice of the American over 
the English horse, is due to the fact that here the horse is handled 
7 



98 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

from colthood up by the boys of the family, while in England the 
colt is the scape-goat of ignorant servants. There are many honor- 
able departures from this in the latter countr}^, just as there are brutal 
exceptions among us ; but the rule holds good. American colts 
are early taught to lead by the halter. The boys play with and exer- 
cise them. It is not unusual to see them lolling on the colts, feeding 
them choice bits, or even mounted on their backs. When the time 
for real service comes, there is no fear, and they go about their bus- 
iness with but few struggles to escape, unless their fighting qualities 
are aroused by cruelty of some kind or other. 

IV. Use the Whip With Discretion. 
We believe the whip is a valuable instrument in restraining all ani- 
mals, but we also believe that a single blow only should be given at 
one time, to be followed up, however, Avith another and another, but 
always with marked intervals between, until the animal submits. It 
may be necessary to repeat the blow, but a greater or less interval 
"should elapse, and the reason made clear to the animal, if possible. 
Like the infant, he reasons slowly. Give him time. Once subdued, 
return to the law of kindness. 

A good horseman uses the whip but seldom. The animal is simply 
made to know it is an implement of power. In trainmg, he soon 
comes to understand that the slight tap gives no pain, but refusal 
brino-s the stronger blow. Its principal use should be to prevent in- 
jury to the trainer in the case of refractory animals. One stinging 
cut of the whip is sufficient to cause the animal to forget his other 
impulse. The stroke should not be repeated, unless a similar condi- 
tion reproduces the idea of resistence. With each recurring punish- 
ment, the impulse becomes less and less, until it ceases altogether, so 
far as the trainer who has conquered him is concerned. 

V. Intelligent Restraint. 
There are certain persons who have extraordinary power over the 
lower animals. It is called by many names. No person of violent 
temper, or rather, no person who gives Avay to his temper, is fit to be 
entrusted with the control or training of aninud.s. Such a man is not 
fit to have the ordinary care of dumb beasts; his brutal incapacity 
is pretty sure to be shown in their actions. If a. horse is uneasy in 
his stall at the approach of a stranger, it is a fair indication that he 
fears abuse. If he shows timidity or nervousness at the approach of 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 99 

the stableman, the evidence is against the man; in other words, that 
man should be watched. A horse made vicious by abuse had better 
be gotten rid of from the stable, for the continual wrangle to produce 
obedience will surely infect his companions. The man who cannot 
manage a stable of horses without the use of the pitchfork should be 
discharged at once. He is a coward, whose only idea of controlling 
his dumb charge is through fear. The ordinary stableman can hardly 
be expected to show himself a deft trainer, when so often he cannot 
even clean a horse with comfort to the animal, nor even measurably 
perfect as to the finish. 

VI. Animal Language. 

Every animal has its own language. We should make it a part of 
our business to study not only the language of his signs, but that of 
the voice as well. Thus we may know instantly what the play or 
slant of the ears means, what a glance of the eye signifies, and come 
to understand the meaning of a particular arch of the neck or move- 
ment of the tail. These movements all have their meaning, and are 
well understood by each animal of a given species. The cry of pain, 
the whinney of expectation, of solicitation or of satisfaction, the 
shriek and grunt of extreme pain, the outcry of fear, the peculiar 
vibrations of the body, and the attitude when standing still, — these 
should be made the study of all who own horses. An extension of 
observation in other directions would enable dealers in horses to as- 
sist their patrons to understand these signs and vocal languages, to 
their great advantage; most persons do not possess this knowledge, 
because of the lack of opportunity of observation in a sufiicient 
number of cases. 

Here, again, one may show the animal that the superior intelligence 
of the human is more than a match for his own brute force ; and 
once he knows you understand andean outwit him, your ascendency is 
established. The key to the whole mystery of the power which cer- 
tain individuals exert over brutes, is that they understand them. 

VII. Gentling and Training the Colt. 

Haltering. — The colt that has been haltered and taught to lead 
quietly, is half broken. In haltering the colt for the first time do not 
hurry, or show signs of nervousness or fear. Taking the halter in both 
hands, hold it out toward the colt until he will touch it with the nose. 
This is the final means bv which the horse satisfies himself that an 



100 THE AMERICAN FAR3IER's HORSE BOOK. 

object is not dangerous. Once his fear of the halter is allayed, slip 
it on the head and fasten it. If he shows no serious fear, tie him up 
at once, but have every part so strong that it cannot be broken. If 
fear is still expressed, allow the colt to wear the halter until he grows 
accustomed to it, and quiet. 

Teaching to Lead. — To teach a colt to lead, take him in a small 
yard and allow him to play about at the length of a ten or twelve- 
foot strap. When he ceases to play, approach him gently, take the 
halter by the nose-band with the left hand, while holding a whip by 
the right and under the arm. If he rears, support yourself by grasp- 
ing the top of the neck to keep the colt down. Use no undue vi- 
olence. Do not strike him. When he gets through floundering, pet 
him, let him taste a small lump of sugar, and little or no difficulty 
will thereafter be experienced. To lead him, take the halter at the 
caveson in the right hand, and bid him go. If he refuse, tap him 
gently with the whip, under the belly, until he moves. If he rears, 
subdue him quietly. So continue until he moves forward. Then re- 
ward him with a caress, and talk to him. He will soon come to en- 
joy his lessons, especially if an occasional lump of sugar or other del- 
icacy is added. 

Teaching to Back. — In teaching the colt to back, stand in front of 
him, take the halter or bridle with both hands, and with the word, 
"Back! " press square upon the bit, rather firmly but steadily. The 
colt must have time to understand what is wanted. 

VIII. Use of the Voice and of Signals. 

In all training, the voice nmst be the chief reliance, but signals by 
motion must also be employed. The signal by sound should always 
precede the signal by motion, and the check of the strap or rein 
should always precede the tap or, when necessary, the l)low of the 
whip. That is to say, always give the word of command first, and 
seldom in a loud voice, which is unnecessary, the hearing of horses 
being acute. The child is taught to walk, leap, run or speak through 
the power of imitation. The same means must be used with animals, 
and accordingly the same word, as also the same signal, should 
always be used for the same particular action: — Whoa! Back! Go 
on ! Come here ! etc. 

IX. Special Methods of Horse Taming. 

Now as to the modes of training flamingly advertised every few 
months by certain specialists, these pretentious individuals are, as a 



TRAIISrijSfG AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 101 

rule, mere fakirs, and their methods of no account to the ordinary 
trainer. For controlling high-strung, belligerent horses, there has 
never been anything better than the means originally employed by 
Earey, and whence their excellence? Because founded on common 
sense. Hence, we here introduce the description of the famous 
Earey methods, given by J. H.Walsh, F. E. C. S., of England, with 
some of his comments thereon, and illustrations to serve as object 
lessons. Dr. Walsh became well acquainted with Earey in England, 
and studied his methods carefully ; he was most favorably impressed 
with them, as was the writer of these pages at that time. 

X. Rarey's Three Fundamental Principles. 

"In his public demonstrations, Mr. Earey always commenced by 
some introductory remarks on the natural history of the horse, in 
which there was nothing to impress the auditor with any great re- 
spect for his powers. At the end of this act, which was evidently 
intended to kill time, we were put in possession of the three funda- 
mental principles of the new theory of the proper management of the 
horse, namely: 

"First, 'That he is so constituted by nature that he will not offer 
resistance to any demand made of him which he fully comprehends, 
if made in a way consistent with the laws of his nature.' 

"Secondly, 'That he has no consciousness of his strength bevond 
his experience, and can be handled according to our will without 
force.' 

"Thirdly, 'That we can, in compliance with the laws of his nature, 
by which he examines all things new to him, take any object, however 
frightful, around, over, or on him, that does not inflict pain, without 
causing him to fear.' 

XI. Rarey's Apparatus Described. 

"The apparatus which is required is, first of all, an ordinary snaffle 
or straight bit in the mouth, without which nothing could be done 
with any vicious hoise; and if any animal is to be 'Eareyfied,' the 
preliminary operation is to get this into the mouth. Stafford was 
brought to Mr, Earey Avith the aid of guide-ropes, which were fast- 
ened to his head and held by grooms on each side. In him, there- 
fore, this first essential point was accomplished. Cruiser also had a 
halter, strengthened with iron, and in him also there was a means of 
laying hold of the head, which was eagerly seized by the operator. 



102 TPIE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

The plan adopted in his case was to fix an iron staple to the door- 
post, and then running through this a strong leather strap, to 
which a spring-hook was attached, the opportunity was seized when 
the horse came open-mouthed to the door, and he was securely laid 




THE LEG-STRAl 



hold of and drawn up to the staple, so as to compel him to allow the 
introduction of a bit. The grey colt at Mr. Anderson's was bitted; 
but the zebra was loose in his cage, and I do not at all know how the 
gag in which he w^as exhibited was forced into his mouth, but I be- 




CRUISER, THE VICIOUS, Willi LIXI-^TUAI* AND SUKCINGLK ON. 

lieve it was effected by a rope thrown round his neck and drawn up 
to the bars of his cage. 

"The second part of the apparatus is the leg-strap for the near fore 
leg, being very similar to a stirrup-leather, which, with the addition 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 103 

of a strong loop, can be made to answer the same purpose very well. 
Before applying this strap, which at once makes the horse harmless 
for offense, he must be rendered approachable, which, in ordinary 
animals, is effected merely with the aid of the bridle. As soon as 
this is done the horse is innocent of all mischief except with his teeth, 
for he cannot kick on three legs, and even his mouth may be kept 
away from the operator by drawing on the off rein. To bring him 
speedily to submit to the power of the operator, the other leg must 
also be confined, Avhich is effected by first buckling on a surcingle, as 
represented on the opposite page, and then catching the off fetlock in 
the running noose of leg-strap No. 2, which is made in the annexed 
form. Provided with this second strap in his pocket, and having al- 
ready applied the leg-strap No. 1, and the surcingle as shown above, 
the subject under manipulation is either induced to drop his off foot 
into the noose, or it is slipped round his ankle, while the off rein is 




THE LEG-STRAP. NO. 2. 



held by the other hand to keep the teeth off the operator. As soon 
as this loop is firmly drawn round the leg, the other end is slipped 
through the surcingle under the belly, and entire control of the horse 
is only a work of time. The arrangement of these straps is exhib- 
ited in the next engraving, where the horse is shown ready for the final 
struggle. Up to this time, almost every horse will be tolerably quiet 
and unresisting, some squealing when any approach is made to their 
elbows to tighten the surcingle, and others when the strap No. 2 is 
slipped through it. Few, however, plunge much ; and if they are 
made to hop on three legs, they are able to go on for so long a time, 
without producing the necessary amount of fatigue, that the operator 
would be tired before his pupil. 

XII. The Struggle Described. 

^Tt is at this stage — that is to sa}', Avith the use of the leg-strap 
No. 1 — that the predecessors of Mr. Karey stopped, and they conse- 



104 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



quently failed to gain the absolute control which he has invariably 
obtained with the slight but really important additions which he has 
made, and which he uses in the ingenious manner which I shall now 
describe. It may be observed that, with a violent horse, it is always 
better to let him feel his want of power for doing mischief with the 
near fore leg strapped up, and the slight degree of fatigue which a 
few minutes' hopping will produce, before the second strap is called 
into play, especially if the operator has not acquired great skill in the 
use of the apparatus. When this is done, and the second strap is ap- 




READY FOR THE FINAL STRUGGLE. 



plied, and slipped through the surcingle, as shown in 'Ready for the 
Final Struggle,' taking care to put a stout glove on the right hand, 
the left rein is taken in the left hand, and gently jerked — using, if 
necessary, the usual slight stimulus Avith the tongue, to make the 
horse move, which he can only do by raising the off fore-leg off the 
ground in the action known as hopping. 

"The moment this begins, the right hand tinnly draws the off leg 
up to the surcingle, and keeps it there, Avhen the horse must either 
bound into the air on his hind legs, or he nuist go down on the 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES 



105 



ground, supported from falling on his side in the attitude of kneel- 
ing. To avoid mischief, therefore, the loose-box or yard where the 
operation is carried on should be thickly bedded with straw ; for no 
knee-caps are stout enough to protect the joints from injury on hard 
ground; nor, if they escape being bruised, will the shock to the bod}- 
on falling be at all safe. Even straw can hardly be relied on, if the 
floor beneath is of brick, stone, pebbles, or hard natural soil ; for it 
is apt to give way during the struggles of the horse, and allow, the 
knees to reach it without the intended protection. When, therefore, 
there is no tanned riding-school, or other similar surface, at com- 



''^fr^ 




THE HORSE BOUNDING ON HIS HIND LEGS. 



mand, a good solid bed of manure (which is always to be had wher- 
ever horses are) should be spread a foot thick at least, and over this 
clean straw may be laid. 

''To return to the subject of the operation, whom we left with the 
alternative of bounding in the air on his hind legs, or falling on his 
knees in the annexed attitude, the chief art in managing this part of 
the process is to keep firm hold of the strap attached to the off leg 
close to the surcingle; the hand being protected by the glove, can 
easily prevent it from slipping through during the struggles of the 
horse, and nt the same time serves as a jmint craj)]mi for the operator. 



106 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



SO that he can follow the movements of the bounding animal in what- 
ever direction he may progress. The operator must on no account 
attempt to stand away from his patient, nor must he advance before 
the girth-place; but keeping close to this, he is in no danger, pro- 
vided he has the sense and the ability to give w^ay if the horse should 
throw himself down towards his side. The rein, being still held in 
the left hand, prevents the horse falling away from the operator, and 
is also used by him as a means of guiding the animal, if he happens 
to progress in a direction which is not desired. 



,.^^^— ■ 




THE HORSE ON HIS KNEES, ABOUT TO FALI> ON HIS SIDE. 

"Nothing else is to be attempted till the horse has quite exhausted all 
his energies, which those possessed of high courage will soon do ; but 
low-bred animals are very apt to turn sulky, and, refusing to plunge, 
remain on their knees, in spite of every kind of stimulus which can 
be given them short of severe punishment with the whip, Avhich is to 
be avoided, as opposed to the principles on which the whole process 
is founded. By taking time with these brutes, they may always be 
made to tire themselves, for the kneeling position is very irksome to 
them, and the most stubborn will give a plunge now and then to 
relieve themselves, though they will not follow up one with another 
as speedily as a thoroughbred. 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 107 

"Sooner or later (the time varying from ten minutes to two or three 
hours), the tail begins to tremble, the ilanks heave, and a profuse 
perspiration breaks out, which are signs that the horse of himself 
desires the recumbent position, and will lie down of his own accord, 
if not pulled over by the right hand of the operator. Mr. Karey, in 
his public exhibitions, has never, as far as I am aware, waited for this 
to take place, but, perhaps to prevent wearying his audience, has 
alwaj^s pulled his patient over on his side as soon as he could accom- 
plish the feat. In many cases, this impatience has led to a partial 
failure; the horse, not being tired out, has refused to submit, and it 
has only been after repeating the process once or twice that complete 
control has been ol)tained. Those gentleman, therefore, who wish to 
try the experiment for themselves, will do well to avoid any risk of a 
repetition, which they may not be able to manage with the dexterity 
of the o-reat American tamer. Let them wait till the horse is thor- 
oughly tired, and then only interfere to such an extent as to keep 
him leaning towards their side, by laying hold of the right rein 
instead of the left, as shown in the engraving, 'The Horse Bounding 
on His Hind Legs;' and drawing the head away from themselves. 
Mr. Rarey generally used the right hand for this purpose, when he 
wished to throw his patient before he was exhausted, because he 
could in that way employ more force; and, at the same time, his 
dexterity was such that, if a bound was made, he was always ready 
to hold the strap attached to the off foot before the horse could get 
fairly on his hind legs. In whichever way the task is accomplished, 
the effect is apparently the same — the horse lies extended on his side, 
panting and sweating, in the most exhausted condition ; but, of 
course, showing more of these symptoms of distress the longer he has 
been kept resisting the restraints put upon him. 
XIII. The Tamer's Victory. 

"Now comes the test of the practical ability of the operator; for 
whereas before he had only plain directions to carry out, he has at 
this stage to judge how far his efforts are successful. If he takes off 
the straps too soon, the patient is patient no longer, but rises rapidl}^, 
and perhaps rewards him by planting a severe blow on his ribs. It is 
here that Mr. Rarey displayed his great skill to perfection. Appar- 
ently by intuition, he knew when his pupil was mastered; but, as he 
was always ready to explain, it was really by two .symptoms that he 
judged whether he had gained the mastery or not. One of these 



108 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



was the expression of the eye, which it would be difficult to describe, 
and which experience alone could adequately convey to those who 
wish to understand it; but the other, being readily tested, is within 
the reach of every one. This consists in the entire flaccidity of the 
muscles of the neck and liiul)s; and until this is ascertained to have 
been obtained, the straps should not be entirely removed. 

"Mr. Rarey's plan of proceeding at this stage was the following : A 
second or two after the horse went down, he let him raise his head, 
and then dragged it down again to the ground b}^ the mane. On re- 
peating this once, twice, or thrice, the animal would give in as far as 




THE HORSE TAMED. 



that part was concerned ; and being rewarded with a pat of the hand, 
the head remained still on the ground, and that part was 'gentled.' 
Next removing the leg straps, the fore legs were separately gently 
rubbed downwards; and on being lifted, and let fall, as if dead, they 
also were passed as in a similar satisfactory state. The operator then 
going round by the back, proceeded to gentle the hind limbs; and 
though, in vicious horses, he sometimes had narrow escapes of being 
kicked, yet, by his great activity and clever mode of seizing his op- 
portunity, he always succeeded in keeping out of harm's wa^^ Fi- 
nally, the operator passed in front of the legs, and performed all the 



. TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE MEASURES. 109 

usual 'clap-traps' of putting his head between them, knocking the 
hind and fore shoes together, standing on the body, etc. 

"While in this state, the horse lies in the attitude and with the ex- 
pression which is very well represented in the accompanying sketch, 
and there he will gladly lie as long as he is permitted to do so. But 
he is not to be alloM'ed to recruit his powers ; and as soon as he had 
gone through the tricks which I have described, Mr. Rarey made him 
rise, and then showed that the power which he had gained was not 
lost as soon as the animal stood on his lesjs aafain. Callins^ for a sad- 
die, it was in every case shown to the horse, and put first on his head, 
then on his neck, and finally in its proper place. The animal then 
always submitted to be mounted, and even allowed the dangerous plan 
recommended and adopted by Mr. Rarey, of standing close to the 
hind-quarter while putting the foot in the stirrup, to be carried out 
without kicking, which before the 'Rareyfication' most of the vicious 
brutes operated on in public would probably have done. 

XIV. Dr. Walsh's Summing Up. 

"By this plan, it is indisputable that any active man, of good tem- 
per, but possessed of firmness and courage, and accustomed to deal 
with horses, may gain such a control over even the most vicious, that 
he can do what he likes Avith them in-doors. No one who has exam- 
ined into the matter can doubt Mr. Rarey's power, nor can he refuse 
him the merit of improving upon the old system of controlling the 
horse, by the addition of the second leg strap, which adds so much 
to the power of the human arm that the most violent and muscular 
horse has no chance whatever. The secret lies in two essential feat- 
ures; first, that the horse must never be coerced or resisted unless 
the man is certain of success in controlling him; and, secondly, that 
when the former is thoroughly convinced of his powerless condition, 
and his muscles are tired out, the latter interferes and relieves him of 
his trammels, 'gentles' him, gives him kind words, and at length 
encourages him to rise. The effect is marvelous — the most vicious 
brute, who would previousl}^ tear anj^ man to pieces, after he is thus 
first coerced, and then 'gentled' and relieved, appears to grow fond of 
his master, and follows him about like a dog. Clearly, therefore, 
Mr. Rarey may be considered as having been eminently successful in 
propounding a system of hovse-taming , but it by no means follows 
that his process is equally, or even at all, useful in hovQQ-breaking . 



110 THE AMERICAN FARMER's HORSE BOOK. , 

"There appears to be strong evidence that, if the operator gives oc- 
casionally a very slight reminder of his powers, the effect of one, two, 
or three lessons, repeated at short intervals, will continue for at least 
a 3^ear or two. There are numerous instances which have come to my 
knowledge of horses resuming their vicious habits within two or three 
months of receiving such a lesson from Mr. Earey that they would 
allow him to do what he liked with them ; but in the case of the sav- 
age Cruiser, there is reason to believe that he never once rebelled 
against his master from the time that he first gave in. The evidence 
in favor of the lasting nature of the controlling power, when exercised 
by the operator himself, is too strong to be gainsaid. 

"Does the vicious horse which has been subdued and gentled by one 
man, show the same absence of vice towards others? Here the evi- 
dence is all the other way; and on putting Cruiser into the witness- 
box, he would tell us that he has several times turned against his 
groom, and put his life in danger. Still, it must be remembered 
that, prior to his treatment by Mr, Rarey, no man dared enter his 
box; and on comparing his two states, before and afterwards, it may 
be truly said that, though not absolutely cured of his vicious propen- 
sities, he is comparatively so. Probably the same conclusion maybe 
arrived at in those cases which are related of relapses from virtue to 
vice; but, at all events, such instances are numerous enough, and at- 
tested in a manner so respectable, that every possessor of a coerced 
horse should be always on his guard. 

"Whether or not the horse is injured by the operation, is somewhat 
difficult to answer, because the injury, if real, is not apparent. The 
chief means of testing the effect is on the powers of race-horses, sev- 
eral of which have felt Mr. Rarey's straps, and been controlled b}^ 
his master hand. And I believe there is no instance of a horse 
which had gone through the operation doing any good subsequently 
on the turf. 

"On the whole, it may fairly be concluded that INlr. Rarey's plans 
are well adapted for the control of vicious horses, supposing they 
arc not subse(iucntly wanted for the turf, in which case the utility of 
the process is vcr}^ questionable. How far is all this useful in break- 
ing colts for general purposes? My own Ix-Iicf is that it acts by 
producing in the horse a compound feeling of fear and gratitude, 
the former being the result of his fruitless efforts to get rid of the 
controlling hand of man, and, the latter being established, from find- 
ing that hand relieve him of his straps and then caress and 'gentle' 



TRAINING AND RESTRICTIVE. MEASURES, 



111 



him. If, therefore, any horse, even without vice, is required to ex- 
hibit to his master or mistress any relations more intimate than those 
which are usually practiced in this country, great advantage will re- 
sult from the establishment of this fear and gratitude. I think the 
use of Mr. Earey's straps most valuable." 

XV. Rarey's Favorite Halter. 
The annexed engraving represents the halter recommended b}^ Mr. 
Rarey for all purposes, with the addition of his ordinary breaking- 
bit. The halter is of leather, and 
made like an ordinary head-stall, 
but rather lighter. A leading-strap 
being buckled to the nose-band, 
either before or behind, anything 
may be done with the colt short of 
mounting. The method by which 
this halter is converted into a very 
useful breaking-bridle is quite sim- 
ple, consisting merely in attaching 
any bit which may be selected to 
the rings connecting the check- 
pieces to the nose-band. The at- 
tachment is made by means of two 
small billets and buckles, as shown 
in the engraving. 

XVI. A Bit of History. 

The "Rarey Method" derives its 
name from the fact that it was tirst 
carried to perfection and given a 
world-wide celebrity by the late 
Mr, John S. Rarey, of Groveport, 
Franklin county, Ohio, although it 
was not wholly original with him. 

That gentleman's experience in training young colts, and in taming 
the vicious of a larger growth, ^vas quite extensive and very successful 
in our own country. In 1858 he went to England, and created such 
a furore there that it is said the gross proceeds of his exhibitions, 
lessons, etc., amounted to the snug sum of £25,000, or about $120,- 
000. His most famous conquest, and the one so often referred to by 
Dr. Walsh, was Cruiser, a stallion of extraordinary ferocity. Mr. 
Rarey has been dead many years. 




RAREY S HALTER AND BKEAKTNG-BIT. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 

HOW TO BUY A HORSE, AND HOW TO SELL. 



I. THE WARRANTEE. II. AN UNQUALIFIED WARRANTEE. III. THE CON- 
DITION OF UNSOUNDNESS. IV. VICE. V. BLEMISHES. VI. DIREC- 
TIONS FOR BUYING. VII. LOOK OUT FOR DISABILITIES AND TRICKS. 

VIII. DIRECTIONS FOR SELLING. 

I. The Warrantee. 

The man who seeks to sell a horse by using deceit never succeeds, ex- 
cept with a class of men who do not read, but, nevertheless, think they 
know it all. This is the class of men who are taken in hy fakirs and 
sharpers of every kind. If not competent yourself to judge, on care- 
ful trial, of vices or disabilities and positive unsoundness, get some 
competent person to examine the animal for you (as, even if you 
should have to pay a capable veterinarian for his skill in this direc- 
tion, it would be true economy), or exact a warrantee from the seller, 
it being knoivn that his warrantee is good. That is to say, the seller 
must be known in the community to be solvent as a business man. 
If 3^ou traide with the mere traveling horse peddler, you are pretty 
sure to be beaten. 

The warrantee should be good for not less than six weeks, and it is 
only good for what it specifies. If, however, there is admitted to be 
any defect in the horse, the exceptions must be included in the Avar- 
rantee. The horse, gelding or mare should be particularly described, 
including the exact age in years, color, height and peculiar markings. 
With these reservations, the following form will cover the case of a 
full guarantee for soundness and vice, both in the stable and out, the 
reservations to be added if the case so requires. 

II. An Unqualified Warrantee. 

$. . . . 

Received of (name, address and date), the sum of $. . . . for 

(name of horse, and whether stallion, gelding or nuu'c), warranted to 

be sound in every respect, free from vice and blemish of whatsoever 

kind, and quiet to ride or drive. (Signature of seller.) 

Attest: (Signature of witness.) 

112 



HOW TO BUY A HORSE, AND HOW TO SELL. 113 

If the horse is very valuable, it will be well to have the attestation 
of a notary public added. 

The reason why it should be stated in the receipt, bill of sale, etc., 
that the animal is free from vice, and quiet to ride or drive, is that an 
animal perfectly sound may be vicious, blemished, balky, or other- 
wise not worthy, and in the common acceptation of the term is really 
not a sound horse, fit for a lady or gentleman to drive. In the fol- 
loAving descriptions we give a careful synopsis of what constitutes 
unsoundness, vice, disabilities, etc. Valuable object lessons in this 
connection are given in Chapter IX, to which the reader is further 

referred. 

III. The Condition of Unsoundness. 

Strangles, Colds, etc. — A horse recovering from ordinary disease 
is not necessarily unsound ; but he must not be warranted as sound if 
the disease is such that unsoundness may ensue later, as, for instance, 
in a case of supposed strangles, when glanders, malignant tuber- 
culosis, or blood poisoning is liable to follow. In this category, we 
place, besides strangles, any running from the nasal sinuses, .colds, 
etc., that possibly may yet permanently disable the animal. 

Knee Sprung. — When this exists to any considerable degree, it is 
unsoundness. In the case of a cheap horse, knees slightly sprung 
would be considered simply a blemish. 

Defective Shoulders. — In the draft horse, this would not consti- 
tute unsoundness, but in horses for fast work, either in harness or 
under the saddle, where upright shoulders cause stumbling, the horse 
is unsound. The horse with the shoulders not properly sloping, 
should never be bought for fast work. The locomotive mechanism of 
the horse is shown in the diagram presented on the next page. 

Knuckling — This consists of the pastern joints of one or both fore 
legs being abnormally perpendicular, instead of sloping naturallv 
back, and is especially objectionable in the horse of fast Avork. If 
this is the result of overwork, if it be occasioned by strains, or by 
pumice foot or navicular disease, the animal is unsound, whereas, if 
the knuckling be natural, the animal being at rest, it is a defect but 
not unsoundness; yet an animal that knuckles over is unsound, be- 
cause the deformity interferes with his action and use. 

Pumiced Sole. — If this is occasioned by disease of the lamina 
attaching the inner to the horny covering of the foot, it constitutes 
unsoundness. 
8 



114 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Unsound Eyes. — If the horse has perfect eyes, he seldom shies un- 
less from having been beaten by a. brutal groom. Any disease of the 
eyes, near-sightedness, or defective eyes of any kind, should con- 
stitute unsoundness; but total blindness is not necessarily an unsound- 
ness calling for mention in a warrantee, and for the reason that it 
may be easily detected. 

Capped Knees. — If the enlargements, or calloused surfaces, inter- 
fere with the action of the limbs, it is unsoundness; if they do 
not thus interfere with the action, they are simply blemishes. 




MECHANISM OF THE FORE AND HIND LIMBS. 

Qoj.ns. — The animal is unsound if the corns produce lameness. 
This will be a question for the veterinarian to decide. Corns usually 
occur in low-heeled, brittle, ilat-footed horses. 

Sand Crack. — This is a fissure, generally on the inside quarter of 
the fore foot, having its original start just below the coronet, and ex- 
tending towards the bottom of the hoof. While it exists, the horse 
is unsound. When cured, it may or may not be a blemish.. 

False Quarter. — A horizontal fissure in the inside of the lioof is 
called false quarter. When apparent, it constitutes unsoundness. 



HOW TO BUY A HORSE, AND HOW TO SELL, 115 

Thrush. — This constitutes unsoundness when it is caused by se- 
vere contraction of the hoof. Slight thrush is curable. Thrush de- 
o-enerating to canker is certainly unsoundness. 

Bone Diseases. — Ring bone, splints, spavin, curby hocks, curbs of 
any kind, capped hocks, or any disability causing lameness, constitutes 
unsoundness. 

Strlng-Halt. — If occasioned by an inflamed nerve, is unsoundness. 
If not so, it is a blemish. 

Hipped. — A fractured hip makes the animal unsound, if he goes 
lame. When recovered, it is a blemish. 

Grease. — Grease, cracked heels, swollen legs, or any joint disease, 
until cured, is unsound. When cured, it may or may not be a blemish 
or disability. 

Wens. — When situated at the upper part of the windpipe, or near 
a main artery or vein, may or may not constitute unsoundness. Wens 
on the hock or elbow not causing lameness are blemishes. 

Unnerved. — A horse having had the operation of neurotomy per- 
formed, should be considered unsound, since the separation of the 
nerve, while it may not cause the animal to go lame, does not prevent 
the previously existing cause from bringing on lameness. 

Wind Broken, Roaring and Whistling. — The first named disability 
is indicated by a peculiar suppressed cough when the horse is exer- 
cised or after eating. Roaring is a chronic disease of the windpipe, 
whose principal sign is a grunting or roaring when the horse is sud- 
denly agitated. In whistling, the horse, when sharply galloped, 
emits a peculiar wheezing. All these, when chronic, constitute un- 
soundness. 

Asthma, — Recognized by a short, soft cough on going out or com- 
ing into the stable, and more pronounced in winter than in summer, 
is unsoundness. 

Crib Biting. — Seizing the manger and emitting a peculiar grunt, 
and wind-sucking, so-called, which is a parallel disability when the 
crib or any projection is not seized, is unsoundness. 

Chronic Cough. — Any chronic cough should constitute unsound- 
ness. Of .such an animal beware. 

Disease in General. — Any disease, while it lasts, constitutes un- 
soundness. 

Shying. — The horse given to shying is unsound, since the habit is 
dangerous to the rider or driver; but this, as well as running away 
and starting suddenly, is generally termed a vice. 



116 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Enlargements. — These, of whatever kind, inchiding bog, blood, 
bone spavins, curbs, thorough pin, when causing himeness, constitute 
unsoundness. 

Cutting. — When from malformation, the horse cuts himself in 
moving, he is unsound. 

Overreaching. — When this defect is so pronounced as to be liable 
to pull off a shoe or to cause falling down, the horse is unsound. 

Low Action. — When produced by strain of the muscles or sinews, 
the animal is unsound. 

Stumbling. — This constitutes unsoundness. 

Indigestion. — Chronic indigestion, causing bloating or a tucked up 
condition of barrel, or a general washy condition, the animal is un- 
sound. 

Wounds. — Wounds, or even severe abrasions, constitute unsound- 
ness while they continue. ' 

Paralysis — This, or the loss or disability of any limb or function, 
constitutes unsoundness. 

Going Wide. — A horse that goes wide behind, from being stiff or 
diseased in the hocks, is unsound. 

Swelled Glands. — A horse with swelled glands of the throat, es- 
pecially if stiff at the setting on of the head, is unsound. 

Contraction of the Hoof. — This constitutes unsoundness, when it 
interferes with the free movement of the horse. 

IV. Vice. 

Vice is any habit, whether acquired or inbred, that renders an an- 
imal not amenable to the control of the humane driver. We say Im- 
mane driver, for a horse that becomes uncontrollable from the abuse 
of a brutal driver is not for that to be called vicious. Under the head 
of vices may be enumerated the following : 

Eating the Bedding. — When confirmed, or attended by any incon- 
venience. 

Kicking, in or out of the stable. 

Shying, w^iether caused by nervousness, or inveterate as a conse- 
([ucnce of misuse by a brutal stableman. 

Balking, Bolting, Rearing, Backing. — All these, as well as running 
away, come under the category of vices. Playfulness is not a vice, 
but it may degenerate thereto through bad management. Skittish- 
ness is a vice, though it may be the result of bad eyes; so may va- 



HOW TO BUY A HOESE, AKD HOW TO SELL. 117 

rioas other vices, which, if from constitutional debility, become un- 
soundness. 

Biting is a vice, when not from mere playfulness. 

Stopping. — Any horse that stops suddenly when under way, or if 

he balks, is vicious, unless it be the result of insanity or disease. It 

is then unsoundness. 

V. Blemishes. 

We deem it needless to go particularly into the subject of blem- 
ishes. Any wound that leaves a scar; wall eyes; glass eyes — that is, 
horses that have eyes abnormal in any way; the result of curbs, 
spavins, splints, upright shoulders, knuckling, or, in fact, any out- 
ward disability that reduces the value of the horse or that renders 
him unsightly — each of these constitutes a blemish. 

VI. Directions . for Buying. 

One of the first things to be done is to examine the horse critically 
as to soundness, vices and blemishes. Examine him as he stands, 
front, sides and rear. Pass your hands carefully over all the limbs 
to detect spavins, curbs, splints, puffs of any kind. Bring the hoi'se 
from a darkened stable suddenly to the door and the light. If there 
is anything wrong with the eyes, it will certainly be shown. 

Notice whether the animal stands quietly to be mounted or dis- 
mounted from either side when saddled, and in saddling whether he 
shows nervousness ; once mounted, observe if he stands quietly for 
the word to move forward. By this, we do not mean that the eager- 
ness to move forward is a disability. On the other hand, this may 
show careful training if the animal is amenable to the wishes of the 
rider or driver, for the same rule will apply to driving, the getting in 
and out of the vehicle, etc. In starting, there must be no rearing, 
plunging, seizing of the bit firmly between the teeth, shaking of the 
head, undue switching of the tail, nor dancing about, and especially 
throwing of the tail over the lines, when driving, and hugging down 
of the tail. Let the seller exercise the horse to show his paces under 
the saddle, and his manner of travel in harness. Stand in front of 
the horse when coming toward you, and when past also scrutinize his 
manner of going, especially his manner of placing the feet, and the 
action of his limbs. If not perfectl}^ free, note the faults. 

VII. Look Out for Disabilities and Tricks. 
Paddling — called round action — in front; too close action behind or 
before, causing liability to cutting of the limbs; straddling — going 



118 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

very wide behind — all these indicate constitutional weakness. The 
manner of holding the head, the flexibility of the neck, showing per- 
fect control by the bit, should be carefuilj' observed. In fact, every- 
thing about the animal should be carefully scrutinized, however per- 
fect the warrantee may be. 

By all means, drive the horse yourself before buying, and in so 
doing give him full chance to display tricks, if he has them .in him, 
for a rogue may be perfectly safe under the driving of one he knows 
to be master, and yet not so under that of a stranger; but do not fall 
into the error of supposing an animal in the hands of a stranger will 
be as perfect as under those of one whom he knows perfectly well to be 
his master. Then if vice shows later, trust to the warrantee; the 
trial should in no case be understood as abrogating the warrantee. 

VIII. Directions for Selling. 

On this subject less need be said. It is the business of the owner 
to sell the animal, showing him to the best advantage, conceding no 
fault that may not be asked about, never giving a full warrantee if 
not demanded, and so wording the warrantee that as little advantage 
can be taken of it as possible. As a rule, actual deceit alwaj^s causes 
discomfiture to the seller, except in the case of the traveling horse 
fakir, who can suddenly disappear. The regular dealer, who has an 
abiding place and character to lose, hardly ever willfully deceives the 
purchaser. The same rule of common honesty is to be practiced, and 
generally is practiced, as by the honest seller of any other goods or 
commodities. 

Fat Horses. — There is one thing important to be understood. In 
buying a fat horse, do not expect him to perform well either hard, slow 
or fast labor at first. The moisture and superabundant fat nuist first be 
removed. The man who knows a horse, will pay more for a horse in 
proper flesh, in condition for work, than for a fat one, but not every 
one who thiidvs he knows a horse does really know when a horse is in 
proper condition for the work expected of him. A fat lubber of a 
horse is in no condition for anything, except such limited exercise as 
will keep his digestion fairly good. 



CHAPTEE IX. 
OBJECT LESSONS IN CONFORMATION. 



I. THE HEAD AND NECK. II. THE BACK. III. THE SHOULDERS. IV. 

THE HIND QUARTERS. V. UINES OF DIVKUGENCE. VI. THE HIND LIMBS. 

VII. THE FORE LIMBS. VIII. DO NOT INVEST IN FAULTY LIMBS. 

I. The Head and Neck. 
In buying a horse, something that should never be slighted is to 
examine carefully the general appearance of the animal as to contour. 
First may come a study of the head and neck, and as illustrations 
will teach far better than even elaborate explanations in print, Ave give 
two companion pictures, one of the thoroughbred, the other of the 
trotting form. 





FIG. 1. HEAD OF RACING HORSE. 



FIG. 2. HEAD OP TROTTER. 



Fig, 1 shows the clean-cut head and neck of the racing horse, 
and Fig. 2 the head and graceful neck of the trotting horse. 





FIG. 3. THIN-NECKED. 



FIG. 4. EWE-NI CKKD. 



Fig. 3 shows a fairly good head, but a neck thin and deficient in 
strength. Do not, however, confound the neck in Fig. 1 with 

119 



120 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



this. The moderately thin neck of the former is flexible, yet suf- 
ficiently strong; this one is weak. 

Fio-, 4 shows an ewe or sheep-necked brute. Such an animal should 
be discarded altogether. He is an eye-sore. 





FIG. 5. A NECK BAD AND AWKWARD. 



FIG. e. SHAPELY FOR LABOR. 



Fig. 5 shows another bad form, often found in ill-bred draft 
horses, as well as in very many farmer's horses in the countiy. 

Good Muscular Head and Neck. — Fig. 6 shows the shapely head 
and muscular neck of a good draft-horse, whatever the breed nnw be, 
though, of course, the contour will be more or less modified in certain 
breeds, as the Shires, Clydesdale and Percheron ; but the draft-horse, 
of whatever breed, should carry his head well up. 





FIG. 7. A TREACHEROUS HEAD. 



FIG. S. STLBBOKN HEAD. 



Muscular Heads and Bad Necks.— In the line of muscular necks 
but utlcrlv l)a(l heads, Fig. 7 shows a treacherous, dangerous rogue, 
and Fig. 8, the stubborn and willful brute, that is liable to run away 
upon any and every occasion. Never buy either, is our advice; but 
if you do, never drive except beside a trusty horse. Even then you 
never will know when he may get away with the honest one. 



OBJECT LESSONS IN CONFORMATION. 



121 



The Idiot. — One more delineation, Fig. 9, and we are done 
heads. It is the head of the fool, idiotic in every 
respect. Never buy anything approaching the bad 
forms we have shown. They wnll be bad bargains 
at any price. 

II. The Back. 



with 



Coming now to the body of the horse, the back 
shoukl be fairly straight, and not too long. The 
fairly straight back is the strong one; the hollow 
back is always weak. Horses originally straight- 
backed, with old age become more and more swav-backed. 




FIG. 9. 




THREE BACKS— THE GOOD, MEDIUM AND HOLLOW. 

is largely due to the ordinary mechanical effect of 
weight on a given line, to which the gradual wasting 
away of the muscles in advanced age affords less and less resist- 
ance. The horse sway-backed when young, with age becomes almost or 
quite valueless. As regards the length of the back, shortness is an 
element of strength, but is incompatible with speed, A very short- 
backed horse cannot get his hind legs sufficiently under him, his mo- 
tion is a '•chopping" one to his rider, and the chances are four out 
of five that he will over-reach; in fact, he is certain to do this, unless 
his shoulders are much more oblique than in most horses put together 
as he is, and unless his action as a whole is unusuall}^ good. 



122 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



III. The Shoulders. 
No less is the conformation of the shoulders important. In the 
cut the fierure on the left shows a o:oocl conformation ; that on the 

In the first 



right is bad. 

the chest is full, the should- 
ers sloping, the neck rising 
grandly from the should- 
ers. The neck is flexible, 
and yet strong, and the 
head well set on. In the 
fio;ure to the rio;ht the chest 
is hollow, the limbs are 
weak, and the neck and 
head coarse and ill-shaped. 
As to the degree of obliquity 
that should characterize the 
shoulders, see page 52 and elsewhere in this work. 

IV. The Hind Quarters. 

As emphasized elsewhere, the hind quarters are the propelling power 
of the horse. They should be scrutinized closely before buying. 




GOOD AND BAD SHOULDERS. 




HIP FORMATIONS. 



The perfect hind (juarter, viewed sideways, behind, is long, deep, 
fully rounded and well placed, as shown in the second figure from the 
left in our engraving "Hip Formations." That to the left is carried 
too high to the rump, and the tail is set on too high. The third 
from the left is too round and too short from the loin, and that to 
the right is allogclhor had and out of shape. 



OBJECT LESSONS IN CONFORMATION. 



123 








GOOD FORM. 



KOT SO GOOD. 



V. Lines of Divergence. 

All this is shown in another and striking way in the annexed series 

of cuts. To the ,.,_«=^— "'-'-'•" -.»^ 

left is the perfect "%'^ 

form. The line 

dropped from the 

rump just touches 

the hock and runs 

evenly down the 

leg, just outside 
,1 the fetlock. In the 

second figure the 

line drops too far 

behind. In the fig- 
ure entitled "Bad 

Form" the leg is 

still farther out of 

line from the root 

of the tail, while 

in the companion 
figure the horse may simply be called crooked-limbed, — that is tnal- 
formed. In the figure "Good Form' ' it will be seen the leg is crooked, 
but naturally and flexibly 
so, as seen in the best ex- 
amples of the horse. This 
kind of curve of course is 

*^K «Wffil:'l the horse for fast work 

than in the draft horse, 
and it is never ungraceful. 
Speaking of graceful ap- 
pearance, a tail well set 
on is a great ornament to 
a horse. The Arab car- 
ries it almost straight out 
in a line from the spine. 
In the underbred animal 
the tail is usually set on 
low down, possesses no 
muscular power, clings to 
the hind quarters, and altogether looks mean 



%. 





BAD FOUM. 



CKOOKED LIMBED. 



In the well-bred 



horse the tail is carried firm and well away from the liind quarters. 



124 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 





GOOD HIND LIMBS. 



BAD TO MALFORMATION. 



VI. The Hind Limbs. 

Two more cuts will complete our object lesson on the conformation of 
the horse's hind quarters. These are here viewed from behind. The 

first shows the horse 
s tan ding n atur ally , ^ 
when of a good con- '| 
formation. The sec- 
ond has the toes 
turned in and the 
hocks out. The lat- 
ter is exaggerated, 
and deliberately so, 
the better to show 
the difference. In 
the first, the left leg 
■stands just right ; the 
right is slightly out 
of line. In the sec- 
ond, the left limb is 
turned unnaturally 
m, and the right is still more out of line. With perfect truth 
the latter might be termed positively malformed. 

VII. The Fore Limbs. 

Resuming our stud}'^ of the fore quarters, the annexed Fig. 1 shows 
the front limb at the left perfectly in line. The right limb is thrown 

slightly out. Both limbs should stand 
aligned as in the former. In Fig. 2 is 
shown the parrot-toed horse ; Itoth limbs 
are turned too far in. It is impossible 
that an awkward creature like this should 
have good action, as to either speed or 
gracefulness. In fact, the horse with 
bad fore limbs is apt to be more objec- 
tionable pn the score of safety than one 
with bad hind quarters. Nothing is more 
annoying, when out driving for an airing, 
or on a trip to the village or post-ofiice, 
than to find yourself behind a horse that 
keeps stumbling every half mile or so, and dropping to his knees, or 
perhaps tumbling occasionally clear over on his side. 




FIG. 1. 



OBJECT LESSONS IN CONFORMATION. 



125 



Side View.— 

ditional figures 



In continuation of this subject, we present three ad- 
Fig. 3 shows by the line running down the perfect 
of the limb. 





FIG. 3. 



FIG. 4. 



FIG. 5. 



7 and 8, the 



conformation 

Fig. 4 shows the limb slightly 
out of line, that is to say, 
too straight. Fig. 5 shows 
the limb, and especially the 
fetlock, too much flexed, and 
necessarily weak, because 
too long and inclined too 
much forward. Figs. 6 and 
7 show the limbs as resting 
clear back of the proper 
line, while Fig. 8 shows 
weak conformation in every 
respect. Fig. 6 is not es- 
sentially bad in a cheap horse, but as shown in Figs, 
animal would scarcely be worth his feed. 

Do Not Expect Perfection. 
Right here we want to give 
the inexperienced buj^er a bit 
of advice that may save him 
hours of indecision and mental 
disquiet. It is this, not to ex- 
pect perfection at all points in 
any animal. There never was 
a horse that mio;;ht not be crit- 
icised, to greater or less degree, 
in some of his points. The 
thing to do is, first of all, to 
determine the precise uses you 
will put your intended purchase 

to ; and, next, to settle in your mind the characteristics essential to 
his proper discharge of the service, in view. If you can suit yourself 
as to these essentials, you can afford to overlook a little divergence 
from the ideal standard in details thiit for your purposes are minor 
ones. "Act well your part; there all the honor lies," says the poet 
in his "Essay on Man;" similarly the horse that well fulfills the re- 
quirements of his service, whatever that may be, is a horse not to be 




FIG. 7 



FIG. 8. 



126 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



despised. The most that can be expected is a horse with many good 
points, few indifferent, and no decidly bad ones. In buying a horse 
examine particularly for the weak points. If these are pronounced, 
refuse him for any service. In the draft-horse we look for well- 
sprung ribs, breadth of chest, and necessarily fore legs wide apart. 
In the race-horse, trotter, or fast driver they are faults. Hence we 
repeat, study the horse for the purpose for which you intend him. 

Front Presentation. — To return to the front presentations of the 
fore limbs. Fig. 9 shows the perfect-limbed horse. Fig. 10 is what 





JLj 




FIG. 9. 



FIG. 10. 



FIG. 11. 



might be called bandy-legged, the hoofs standing too near together. 
Fig. 11 is downright splay-footed. 

VIII. Do not Invest in Faulty Limbs. 
Avoid the two latter specimens, and hold fast to the first example. 
In short, do not permit yourself to be satisfied with any of the deci- 
dedly bad conformations exhibited in these valuable object lessons. If 
you study this chapter carefully, in relation to the vices and disabil- 
ities and unsoundness described in Chapter VIII, you should not go 
far astray in making up your mind as to what constitutes a good 
horse. And in this connection we reiterate that without sound limbs 
and good hoofs, no horse is, or possibly can be, a really good horse. 



CHAPTEE X. 

THE CONSTRUCTION OP STABLES. 



I. A SIMPLE AND EXCELLENT HORSE STABLE. II. TRUE PRINCIPLES OF CON- 
STRUCTION. III. LOUVRE BOARDS FOR VENTILATION IV. PAVING FOR 

STABLES. V. STABLE FLOOR HIGHER THAN THE GROUND OUTSIDE. VI. 

SLOPE OF STALLS. VII. SITE OF STABLES. VIII. LIGHT. IX. MODI- 
FYING A FARM BARN. X. A MODEL BARN. XI. THE HOR E STABLES. 

XII. THE CATTLE STALLS, ETC. 

I. A Simple and Excellent Horse Stable. 

Every farmer or breeder has his own ideas as to the construction 
of barns and stables, and, as a rule, these ideas meet the special cases 
fairly well. Here, however, we have to deal simply with the con- 
struction of stables for horses. In this line we have seen none more 
simple than is contained in the volume of General Sir F. Fitzwygram, 
whose plans combine about all the modern improvements. The 
"plan" which we give explains itself. It shows a sixteen-stall stable, 
a window in front of each double stall, and the horses standing tails 
together, with an ample passage way between. Though the plan is 
drawn for a sixteen-stall stable, the same style of construction is 
equally available and suitable for a less or greater number of horses. 

In elucidation of this Avhole subject, we will quote some extracts 
from Fitzwygram's excellent work, "Horses and Stables," that we 
are sure our readers will ao;ree with us in considerins; instructive 
and practically valuable. It will be. seen that the painstaking writer 
has in mind a brick stable; but all his suggestions as to "air-bricks," 
etc., can easily be carried out in the frame stables used, almost uni- 
versally on American farms, by sawing out small openings, each pro- 
vided with a little leather-hinged or sliding door for closing it when 
needed, as in stormy or severely cold weather. 

II. True Principles of Construction. 

From the peculiar properties of heated air, there need be but little 
difficulty in getting rid of it. The real difficulty lies in providing for 
the admission of fresh air in quantities sufficient to maintain the purity 

127 




128 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES. 129 

of the stable without causing in some part or other a sensible and in- 
convenient draught. This difficulty, however, or, in other words, the 
danger of draught, decreases in proportion as the air has a less dis- 
tance to travel before it is presented to the nostrils of the horse. 

With this view it is essential, as a primary rule, that no more than 
two horses should be placed between the opposite sources of air. In 
all stables the windows should be placed on both sides along the length 
of the stable. (See our "Plan.") It is then immaterial, as regards 
ventilation, how many horses the stable is constructed to hold. The 
air has no greater distance to travel than the breadth of the building. 
There should be a window over the head of each horse two feet six 
inches in width and three feet in heio;ht. 

Ventilators Above and Below the Windows. — Windows may, how- 
ever, under certain circumstances, require to be almost entirely closed. 
Therefore, above the windows, immediately under the eaves, and run- 
ning the whole length of the stable on both sides, a row of air-bricks 
should be placed. The air entering through these numerous but 
minute apertures will be considerable, but it can never amount to an 
excessive draught. It will also be sufficient at most times, when the 
windows are closed, to maintain the upward current of the air, and 
thus prevent an excessive down-cast current from the ridge apertures 
recommended hereafter for the escape of the foul air. 

Below each manger, about fourteen inches above the floor of the 
stable, a line of air-bricks should be placed. The height of fourteen 
inches is recommended in order that the apertures may not be choked 
by the bedding. By means of the air-bricks so placed a gentle and 
scarcely perceptible stream of fresh air will be supplied almost di- 
rectly to the horse's nostrils when he is lying down. The air enter- 
ing at this low point is also of great use in keeping in motion the air 
in the lower part of the stable, where it is otherwise especially apt to 
become stagnant. 

The amount of air entering under these arrangments will undoubt- 
edly be considerable, but at no one point will it be so great as to create 
a sensible and unpleasant draught. It will be gradually, gently, and 
constantly diffused through the whole stable. Traversed openings 
are objectionable. They are very apt to get choked, and it is very 
difficult to clear them out. 
9 



130 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

III. Louvre Boards for Ventilation. 

For ready means of affording exit for foul air, no construction of- 
fers so great facilities as an open roof with louvre boards at its ridge 
runnino; the whole length of the stable. In double-line stables the 
depth of the louvre should be sixteen inches, which wnll afford a ven- 
tilating outlet of about four feet for each horse. In stables in which 
the horses stand in a single line or row, the depth of the louvre may 
be reduced one-half. For reasons almost similar to those which have 
been urged in regard to the admission of fresh air, it is very essential 
that the foul air should have an exit along the whole length of the 
stable, instead of merely by holes, pipes or funnels in one, or two or 
three places. 

Louvre boards are often objected to on account of their admitting 
rain, wind, and snow. When they admit rain, or an excessive amount 
of wind, the fault lies in the architect or carpenter. If each board is 
made wide enough to overlap well the board below, and if the pitch 
is sufficiently steep, no serious inconvenience will be felt. 

IV. Paving for Stables. 

The material required for really good paving must be non-absorbent, 
water-tight, easily cleaned, durable, and not slippery. It is not easy, 
however, to find a material which combines all these requirements. 
Most materials, in proportion as they answer the first-named require- 
ments, fail in the last. All paving, whatever the material used, 
whether square-cut stones, bricks, or wooden blocks tilled with gravel 
and tar, must be laid in cement. 

No paving, whatever the material employed, will be realh" sweet 
and dry unless the whole of the bedding is removed from the stable 
at the morning stable hour and turned outside. The paving nnist 
then be swept thoroughly clean, and lef t jto the drying and purifying 
influence of the air until the horses are dressed after their return 
from the morning exercise, when they may be bedded down again. 
Every door and window in the stable should be set open whilst the 
horses are at exercise. 

V. Stable Floor Higher than the Ground Outside. 

The floor of a new stable should be made eighteen inches higher 
than the ground outside. We name this very considerable elevation, 
partly because it facilitates natural and surface drainage, and in some 
degree secures the stable from dtinip, partly on account of the ten- 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES. 131 

dency of new floors to sink, and still more on account of the prob- 
ability of the soil outside becoming higher from constant gravelling 
or repairs. It is a fact easily to be observed that the floors of most 
old stables are lower than the ground outside, though it is improbable 
that such was the original construction. 

VI. Slope of Stalls, 

Horses undoubtedly stand most comfortably on a perfect level, and 
any slope more than absolutely necessary for drainage purposes is de- 
cidedly objectionable. Any great degree of slope is positively injuri- 
ous, because it throws an undue stress on the hind quarters and also 
on the flexor tendons of the fore legs, b}^ reason of the toe being more 
elevated than the heel. Where stalls have underground drains in 
the centre, the floor should slope from all four sides to the centre, 
and the horse will practically stand on a level. 

Where surface drains are used, the upper third of the stall may be 
level, whilst the rear part will require a fall of one in eighty towards 
the main drain. The floor should also be made to slope in the rate 
of one in forty from both sides of the stall towards the drain down 

its centre. 

VII. Site of Stables. 

The site of every stable should be deeply thorough-drained. The 
soil selected should, if possible, be gravel. The situation should be 
moderately high, open, and with facilities for natural drainage. 
Bleak situations are not desirable. Building's in the immediate 
neighborhood, if high, are objectionable. The ordinary English cus- 
tom of erecting stables and coach-houses round four sides of a square 
is bad. The air always hangs more or less in any such enclosed 
space, and thorough ventilation is impossible. 

A northern aspect is cold and cheerless, whilst a southern aspect 
is often unduly hot in summer. In stables with windows on both 
sides, east and west aspects will, as. a general rule, be found most 
advantageous. The one side will have the morning, and the other 
the afternoon sun. There should be a door at each end or in the 
middle on each side, as may be most convenient to the particular lo- 
cality. Either door can then be used according to the circumstances 
of the weather and wind. If the stable is very large, it is desirable 
to have doors both at the sides and ends. 



132 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



VIII. Light. 

Ventilation, drainage and sufficient cubical space, will render it pos- 
sible to obtain almost perfect purity of air both by day and night. 
But light, and constant, intelligent supervision are likewise necessary 
in order to ensure cleanliness and the best stable management. 
The general directions, given in the preceding pages, for a stable 
built of brick, may easily be modified to suit, where, as is usual in 
the United States, they are built of wood. Tho, principles laid down 
are certainly admirable. 

IX. Modifying a Farm Barn. 
Many farmers have barns that may be easily altered to accommo- 
date horses, and for such cases the stable plan next presented will 
be found very suggestive. This ground plan, with the corresponding 
elevation, which was given to the public through the Bureau of Ag- 
riculture not long since, is not a fancy sketch; it is an accurate rep- 
resentation of a complete Pensylvania barn, and stables for all stock, 




R \oA ¥i^ \ 1 n 



CARRIAGE ROOM 



EMSINE 
ROOM 



J 



./: 



GKOUMD PLAN OF FEEDING FLOOR AND YARDS. 



actually built and in use. The illustrations require no explanation, as 
everything in the stable is plainly lettered. Nevertheless, the general 
description which originally accompanied it will interest the reader, 
and facilitate his making the necessary modifications to suit his par- 
tic'uiur re(iuircment.s, in case he wishes to use this plan. 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES. 133 

X. A Model Barn. 

The engraving shows elevation, northeast view. On the southwest 
side the yards are attached. The northwest side contains the prin- 
cipal embankment for reaching the second floor, with room for power 
for raising and carrying fodder, and also the horse stable and en- 
trance. The diagram or "Ground Plan" shows plan of stock floor, 
yards, etc. The barn stands upon a side-hill sloping east. There 
are three distinct floors, and the barn consists of a main, buildins: and 
two wings, with dimensions as follows: Main building is fifty-five by 
eighty feet; the east wing is fifty-six feet long and thirty-one and a 
half feet wide; the south wing is fifty-six feet long and thirty-five in 
width ; total length from north to south, 136 feet. In the view from 
the northeast is shown the east wing, and the cellar or basement wall, 
with the doors and windows communicating with the hog-pen, etc. 
The doors (D) are suspended upon rollers upon which they slide. 
The windows are suspended by hinges from the top, and swing open 
inside. The approach to the cattle door of the east wing is not as 
steep as it appears in the drawing. 

Circular tanks of boiler iron are filled with constantly flowing water 
in each yard. The rail fence and gates shutting off the cellar from 
the yard are movable; the posts at either end being stepped into 
sockets, like mortices, left in the wide bases of the brick piers. Two 
men in a few minutes will remove them all and throw cellar and yard 
together, thus giving the cattle shelter in either winter or summer. 
Any portion of the cellar may, in the same way, be fenced off or 
opened to the yard. Horse power may be used for threshing and 
sawing, hay and stalk-cutting; but the plan is to employ steam power 
as the most economical, the waste of steam to be used for steaming 
hay and roots, and to this end the location of the engine-room, con- 
tiguous to and below the threshing floor, is exactly right. 

On the storage floor, all the hay, grain, straw, and stalks are 
stored. Two threshing floors, sixteen feet wide, cross the building, 
being entered from the west. On one of these is a hay scale, and 
there is abundant room upon the other for a horse powder and hay 
cutter, by which most of the coarse fodder is choj)ped up before being 
delivered at the feed trough on the floor below. Each grain and meal 
bin communicates by a chute with the feeding floor, where its con- 
tents may be drawn off. The greater part of this floor is occupied by 
the immense hay mows through w^hich pass the four great ventilators 



THE CONSTRUCTION OF STABLES. 135 

coming from the feeding floor. Doors open into the ventilating 
trmiks at different heights, so, when desirable, hay, straw, oats in 
the sheaf, etc., may be thrown down to the stock. From this floor 
there are stairs which ascend to the cupola or observatory. 

XI. The Horse Stables. 
The horse stables throughout the barn are airy and roomy. There 
are three loose boxes, as shown in the "Ground Plan ;" one twelve feet 
square, for horses, and two somewhat smaller, which are used for 
horses, or as lying-in stalls for cows. The horse stalls are models of 
convenience and excellence. Each has the following dimensions: ten 
feet from front to rear, five feet one inch wide, nine feet four inches 
high. The stalls are separated by plank partitions four and a half 
feet high, surmounted by strong woven-wire cloth extending two feet 
higher. The same style of partition forms the front of the stalls. 
The hay rack is of iron, in one corner, and an iron feed box is in the 
opposite corner, accessible from the passage ^^"dy in front of the stalls 
by a small door in the wire cloth. There are two floors, the lower 
one being laid of two-inch chestnut plank, with cleats, half an inch 
thick, covering the cracks between the planks. Upon this water- 
tight floor is another made in three parts ; for two feet at the upper 
end the floor is of white oak plank nailed fast ; the rest of the floor is 
formed of narrow oak plank fastened together by strong oak cleats 
let in flush so as to form two doors, as it were, hinged at either side, 
so as to be lifted and set up, as shown in right hand stall of the cut, 
for the perfect cleansing of the lower floor. A channel at the rear 
carries off the urine, and the solid manure is thrown into the cellar 
through the trap-door seen open in cut. Between the cattle-stalls in 
the south wing there is a passage way ten feet wide, through which 
carts with green food, roots, etc., may be driven, making a complete 
system of soiling in summer practicable and convenient. The pas- 
sage way through the east wing is not quite so wide, but might easily 
be used in the same way. 

XII. The Cattle-Stalls, etc. 

All the cattle-stalls are made upon the same principle as the horse- 
stalls, though of different sizes, for fattening cattle, milch cows, and 
young stock. The feeding boxes are two and a half feet wide, the 
floors five and a half feet from the feeding trough to the gutter, which 
is fourteen inches wide, and the passage in the rear is three feet, 



136 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

makinof in all about twelve feet for the stalls. The stalls are six and 
a half feet wide, arranged for two animals, which are fastened by a 
neck-strap or chain attached to a short chain and ring, playing up and 
down upon a rod bolted to the partition between the stalls. A per- 
pendicular rack is in front of the manger, and a shutter is hinged 
below it, and when open is held in an inclined position by a chain. 
This affords space below for a good forkful of hay between the 
shutter and the rack. Great economy of space is thus secured, for 
the encroachment upon the gangway is rarely of any inconvenience, 
and when carts are driven through it is easy to close the shutters. 
Light and Air. — Light and air are abundantly provided for the 
stock, as one may see by a casual inspection of the plans. In fact, 
these are the first features that impress one. The ventilating trunks 
are four feet square, and rise from the feeding floor directly to the 
roof, where they terminate in ventilators of the largest size. The 
current of air caused by one of these is at all times perceptible, and 
usually amounts to a considerable flow. The windows on the stock 
floor are numerous, and are each provided with two glazed sashes, 
hung by weights, so that any one, or all, may be opened to any 
degree desired, making the floors cool and airy in the closest weather. 



CHAPTER XI. 

ASSES AWD MULES. 



I. THE WILD ASS. II. GENERAL WASHINGTON S JACKS.— — III. THE SOUTH IS 

THE jack's congenial HOWE. IV. USES OF THE JENNET. ANO WHAT IS A 

MULE? — V. LONGKVITV OF THE MULE. VI. VALUE OF MULES FOH LA- 

BOIJ. VII. A HEALTHIER ANIMAL THAN THE HORSE. VIII. DR. STEW- 
ART'S TESTIMONY. IX. THE BREEDING OF MULES. 

The ass was probably subjected to domestication at the same time 
with the horse; at least, mules seem to be of the earliest antiquity. 
In passing, we must remark the wise provision of nature, by which 
the hybrids of two species of any genus are always infertile, since, 
were it otherwise, the earth would have been filled with monsters of 
every conceivable kind. 

I. The Wild Ass. 

The wild ass is essentially an inter-tropical animal, said to have been 
indigenous to Arabia Deserfa, and the regions of ancient Babylonia. 
Four distinct races of the wild ass are mentioned in Scripture, one 
of them, according to the book of Job, of the most wonderful swift- 
ness. There is still a breed found wild in the hill regions of North- 
ern India, that are said to be 
so fleet that no horse can 
overtake them. Nor is the 
modern European jack the 
imbecile, ignorant creature 
that travelers would have 
their readers believe. They 
only see the degenerate and 
diminutive scabs of the peas- 
antry of Great Britain and 
the Continent, an unfortu- 
nate race of animals, which 
apparent!}^ have had inbred 
into them the idea that sub- 
servience to blows and other ill-usage saves them from risk of mis- 
treatment in other ways more cruel still ; for not all brutes walk on 

137 




COMMON ASS AND FOAL. 



138 



TPIE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



four legs — some go on two. It was not so with the ass in olden times, 
when he was used by the very highest classes, and prized as an animal 
easy to ride, swift, surefooted and untiring. 

II. General Washington's Jacks. 
Of the earlier jacks introduced into the United States as far back 
as 1787, were those presented to General Washington — Royal Gift 
(as also a jennet named Gift) by the King of Spain, and the Knight 
of Malta by the Marquis de Lafayette. The former was a huge and 
ill-shapen animal, sixteen hands in height, with a big, ugly, coarse 
head and uncouth body, and clumsy in the limbs. He was, of course, 
of no account. The Knight of Malta, on the other hand, was an 
animal of great courage, large, but not inordinatelj^ so, clean-limbed, 
of great activity, and said to be so ferocious under restraint that he 
could only be managed by his regular groom. His mules partoolv of 
his characteristics, being active, courageous, full of spirit and serv- 
icable when bred to large mares. From the get of this fine ass 
on good jennets, came a most celebrated series of mules, unexcelled 
in their day for size and activit}^ 

III. The South is the Jack's Congenial Home. 
The breeding of jacks and jennets is confined almost entirely to the 
South, and f5r the reason that these animals are peculiarly sensitive 
to cold. The writer of this, when engaged, thirty years ago, in the 

breeding of mules in Illinois, always 
kept his jack in a stable warmed by 
artificial heat in winter. As showing 
the difference, in this respect, between 
the mule (a hybrid ass) and the horse, 
no one who has worked them together 
much but has noticed how. when re- 
lieved from labor on a mild summer 
day, the nuile will from choice take 
the sunny side of the barn, at the 
same time that the horse goes round to the other side for repose in 
the shade; and there he will lie, or roll, giving every evidence of sat- 
isfaction. 

IV. Uses of the Jennet, and What is a Mule? 

The jennet is a she-ass, and in this country is only kept to perpet- 
ual e the breed of jacks. The breeder of jacks for mule getting should 




SUNNING HIMSELF 



ASSES AND MULES. 139 

select the jennet with the utmost care, "for it must be remembered 
that in all breeding the maternal parent is suppose.d to iijipart vigor 
as to the internal organs and viscera, as well as to increase the size of 
the progeny, through the laws of heredit3\ 

As just intimated, the jennet is never bred now to a horse, at least 
not in the United States. This was formerly done to a limited ex- 
tent, but the offspring were found to be an inferior race, and the only 
hybrid between the horse and ass that is now commonlj^ known is the 
produce of the jack and mare. This hybrid constitutes the true 

mule. 

V. Longevity of the Mule. 

Why does the mule live so much longer than the original progen- 
itor on either side? A divine once gave it to the writer, as his opinion, 
that it was because the laws of nature had been violated. Our repl}^ 
was that it might be an outworking of nature's law of compensation, 
as a set-off to the fact that a hybrid is incapable of reproducing his 
life, so to speak, in the life of a successor. Be the reason what it 
may, the longevity of the nude is proverbial. It was a common say- 
ing during the Civil War that '*a mule never died;" he might some- 
times be knocked over by a shot, but if one ever died a natural death 
the army wags refused to credit or record the fact. 

Pliny gives an account of one, taken from Grecian history, that 
was eighty years old. Dr. Kees mentions two that were seventy 
years old in England. Mr. P. S. Skinner says: "I now own a mare 
mule twenty-five years old, that I have had in constant work twenty- 
one years, and can discover no diminution of her powers; she has 
within a year past often taken upwards of a ton weight in a wagon to 
Boston, a distance of more than five miles. A gentleman in my 
neighborhood has owned a very large mule about fourteen years, that 
cannot be less than twentj^-eight years old. He informed me, a few 
days since, that he could not perceive the least failure in him, and 
would not exchange him for any farm horse in the country. And I 
am just informed, from a source entitled to perfect confidence, that 
a gentleman near Centerville, on the eastern shore of Maryland, owns 
a mule that is thirty-five years old, as capable of labor as at any 
former period." 

VI. Value of Mules for Labor. 

It is beyond dispute that nuiles will continue to labor for at least 
double the period of the usefulness of the horse. They endure ex- 



140 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



treme heat better, but are pinched with cold. It is a mistake to sup- 
pose that the mule will subsist on far less food than the horse. In 
proportion to size, they require about the same quantity ; but, weight 
for w^eight, they will draw a heavier load; and, for the reason that 
they take little notice of what is going on about them, do not fret 
and seldom scare. As pack-animals, they are far superior to the 




A MODIFIED SPANISH JACK OF THE UNITED STATES. 



horse; while, in sure-footedness and comparative freedom from dis- 
ease, they greatly excel them. 

At the South. — They have been found much better suited to the re- 
quirements of the cotton plantations than horses. They work freer 
and with less trouble, are more hardy, stand the climate better, and 



ASSES AND MULES. 141 

are not so easily affected by the neglect and cruelty of the negroes or 
others that use them. On the score of economy, also, they deserve 
all the favor that has been awarded them in those sections, and vastly 
more than they commonly receive at the North. The mule, being 
smaller, does not eat more than three-fifths as much as the horse, 
which, when feed is high, is an item of importance. He is especially 
preferable also for the movement of machinery. Here his superior 
powers of endurance give him such an advantage that in these serv- 
ices, it has been claimed, he will often last nearly as many years as 
the horse will months. 

Mules are Not Vicious. — The common belief that the mule is nat- 
urally vicious, is a mistake. He is resentful, and never forgets an in- 
jury ; but, on the other hand, no animal is more susceptible to kind- 
ness, or will exert himself more strenuously for a kind master. He 
has a most perfect means of offense and defense, namely, his heels, 
which he knows how to use to far better purpose than does the horse. 
They are not used, however, except under the impulse of fear or re- 
venge. If kindly used, the mule will be found to be tractable, and 
willing to perform any due amount of labor. On the contrary, if ill- 
used, he becomes sullen, vicious and often balky in the extreme. 

VII. A Healthier Animal than the Horse. 
Though not wholly exempt from disease, the mule is incompar- 
ably a healthier animal than the horse, particularly on the Southern 
plantations, where most of the latter race were originally brought from 
other latitudes. As to his capabilities for service, not onlv is he the 
equivalent of horse power, but he will last more than double the num- 
ber of years that his more pretentious congener will. The average 
period of service of the horse is about ten years, beginning at the age 
of three, and, although some horses last considerably longer than 
this, there are quite as many that fail before completing their thir- 
teenth year. The average period of service of the mule is nearly, or 
quite, twenty-five years. He sometimes begins to fail at twenty 
years old, and in other cases remains as good as ever until nearly 
thirty. Few of his race are worth much after that age. One mule, 
then, in his lifetime, will ordinarily do the work of more than two 
horses, at an expense each year of from thirty-five to forty per cent 
less in keeping. 



142 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

VIII. Dr. Stewart's Testimony. 

"That the mule is much less liable to disease than the horse is un- 
deniably true, and a fact to which we are fully prepared to add our 
corroborative testimony, from a long experience with both. Yet we 
have known the mule to be afflicted with a large majority of the ail- 
ments to which horse-flesh is heir, and have had occasion to treat him 
for them. When the ravages of big head were at their highest in 
Western Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, during the years from 
1848 to 1850, inclusive, thousands of mules in that region were num- 
bered among its victims, and many similar cases occurred in other 
sections of the Southern States. We have repe;itedly seen them suf- 
fering from spavin, ring-bone, narrow heel, founder, flstula, colic; 
diseases of the lungs, of the skin, of the glands of the throat, of the 
urinary organs, etc. Perhaps they are not much less subject than 
the horse to certain constitutional diseases, such as distemper, farcy, 
and glanders. But even here one striking advantage remains with 
the mule — disease yields much more readily to treatment than when 
it attacks the horse." 

IX. The Breeding of Mules. 

A mare that has once brought a mule colt, should never afterward 
breed to the horse, as her progeny in the latter case will be noticeably 
inferior. By precisely what physiological laws this matter is gov- 
erned cannot be easily explained, but the fact is indisputable. Fine 
])looded mares, of superior size and form, should always be bred to 
the horse, and all others that are bred from at all should be reserved 
for the purposes of mule-raising. One fact that commends the em- 
ployment of the jack to some owners of inferior mares is that there 
is a less marked difference thus in the value of the progeny. In 
other words, they consider that a scrub of a mare may be utilized to ad- 
vantage in raising a mule colt, when her foal by a horse would amount 
to very little. 

In the breeding of mules, as of all other animals, attention must 
be paid to the use for which they are intended. If for packing in 
the mountains, small, compact mules, such as are bred from small 
fine Spanish jacks, are required. These are at once agile and sure- 
footed. For work on Southern plantations medium-sized mules are 
most sought. These are bred from nuires of ordinar}?^ size, by good- 
sized jacks. In breeding mules for the road, and for heavy teaming, 



ASSES AND MULES, 143 

large, roomy marcs are served with the largest jacks, and at three 
years old command, when well matched, from $300 to $600 a span. 
The mule colts should be handled j^oung, gentlv treated, and made 
completely subordinate to the will of the master. At two years old 
they may be broken. They should be carefully harnessed, without 
frightening them, and hitched to a strong wagon, when they will gen- 
erally move off without much difficulty. Thereafter they may do 
light work until they are four years old, when they may be put to 
full labor. 

The Breeding of Jacks. — The breeding of jacks and jennets is 
confined in this country to but few hands, principally in Kentuckv 
and Tennessee, though this interest is by no means unrepresented in 
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. This industry was an important 
one up to the breaking out of our Civil War, the jacks produced be- 
ing distributed all over the Western and Southern States. For some 
years after the war it languished, owing in part to the breaking up 
of many of the great breeding studs, but still more to the diminished 
demand for mules. Of late years it has revived, and, as there is rea- 
son to believe, revived permanently. The South is the most favor- 
able field for this branch of the breeding industrj'^, and there the 
agricultural interests are steadily improving, and a constant advance 
is noted in the quality, as well as the numbers, of the live-stock. 



CHAPTEE XII. 

OUTLINE OP THE HORSE'S STRUCTURE. 



I. TRUE METHOD OF TREATING THIS SUBJECT. II. THE HORSE'S FRAME- 
WORK. III. STRUCTURE AND CLASSIFICATION OP THE BONES. IV. THE 

MUSCLES. V. MUSCLE VERSUS FAT. VI. THE TENDONS. VII. THE 

MEMBUANES. VIII. THE SKIN AND ITS THREE LAYERS. IX. APPEND- 
AGES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN. X. THE PORES AND PERSPIRATION. 

XI, THK HAIR. XII. THE BLOOD. XIII. PLAN OF THE CIRCU- 
LATION. XIV. THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. XV. THE CIRCULATORY 

PROCESS DESCRIBED. XVI. THE HEART. XVII. THE FEET. 

I. True Method of Treating This Subject. 

In discussing this subject, we propose to depart from the method 
usually followed by anatomists in their divisions, classes and descrip- 
tions, and to present the whole subject briefly in two preliminar}^, illus- 
trated chapters, and in a natural, consecutive order. The classifica- 
tion of the horse among other animals in natural history, and his re- 
lations to them, are matters of no practical moment to the farmer 
and stock breeder. To them the subjects of chief importance are the 
horse's own peculiar history; his adaptation to the service of man, 
and the best modes of training him and fitting him for that purpose; 
the general laws of health, and the means of its preservation; and 
the diseases to which he is subject, with their proper treatment, and 
means for their prevention as well as cure. It will be sufiicient, in a 
Avork like this, to communicate a general knowledge of his structure, 
so that, in the treatment of disease, the part affected may be readily 
known, and the remedy intelligently applied. 

Our plan of discussion will be similar to that of the carpenter in 
building a house, which concerns, first, the frame-work; next, the 
braces and pins that hold it together ; then the covering, and, lastl}'^, 
the inside finish. In the same manner, we will consider, first, the 
bones, which constitute the frame-work of the horse ; next, the mus- 
cles and tendons — the braces which fasten the former together; then 
the skin and hair, the horse's covering; and, lastly, the internal finish 
— the entire vascular arrangement of lungs, heart, intestines, urinary 
organs, blood-vessels, capillaries, and pores, with the whole glandular 
and nervous structure. 

144 



5 S S S p Sg S S3 JS p £2 p gs g &: *: G o,» ? ? ? f PJ^F:p}° 









10 




146 THE AMERICAN FARMER's HORSE BOOK. 

II. The Horse's Frame- work. 

Our limits allow, and our purpose requires, but a short space for 
the discussion of each of these divisions. We begin with the general 
frame-work, and present the engraving of a very perfect skeleton, ac- 
curately indexed for reference or investigation. 

The Skeleton. — The skeleton is composed of two hundred and 
forty-seven separate bones, which are united by joints to form the 
spine, thorax, pelvis, tail, and fore and hind extremities. The spine 
is finished anteriorly by the head, which is divided into the cranium, 
or skull, and face, and contains the teeth. Suspended from the head 
is the OS hyoides (bone of the tongue), which completes the number 
of bones ; thus : 

The Spine consists of 7 cervical, 18 dorsal, and 6 lumbar vertebras. Total — 31 
The Thorax is made up of the dorsal vertebras, with IS ribs on each side, and 

the sternum in the middle. Total 37 

The Pelvis comprises 2 ossa innominata (or illium, ischium, and pubes), and 

1 sacrum. Total • 3 

The Tail contains, on the average, 17 bones. Total 17 

The Fore Extremity is made up on each side of the scapula, humerus, os 
brachii, and 8 carpal bones; 3 metacarpal, os suffraginis, os coronas, os pedis, 

OS naviculare, 2 ossa sessamoidea. Total on both sides 40 

The Hind Extremity has the femur, patella, tibia, fibula, 6 tarsal bones, 3 
metatarsals, os suffraginis, os coronae, os pedis, os naviculare, 2 ossa ses- 
samoidea. Total 38 

Bones of the Craniubi 10 

Bones of the Face and Lower Jaws IS 

Teeth -10 

Bones of the Internal Ear, four in each organ 8 

Os Hyoides, or Bone of the Tongue, made up of five sections 5 

Grand total 247 

Bones of the Hoof. — The hoofs are the mud-sills of l!ie frame- 
work, each holding — coffin-like — within its cavity the coffin-bone (os 
pedis), which is the first bone in the leg. Between the wings of this 
bone, behind, and fitting closely in the space, is a small bone of a pe- 
culiar shape, called the navicular — literally, ship-shaped — or shuttle- 
bone (os navicidare). This extends backward, and forms the projec- 
tion of the heel. Next above this is the lower pastern bono, resting 
in the hollow on the top of the cofKn-bone. 

Bones of the Fore-!eg. — Next in order is the upper pastern-bone, 
upon which rests the shank bone, with the sessamoid bone, which 
articulates with the ankle-joint, and laps over the point of junction of 
the shank and upper pastern-bone. The knee-joint is composed of 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 's STRUCTURE. 147 

seven bones. Sometimes a small, floating bone is found at the back 
of the joint, making eight in all. Back of the knee, and just below 
it, are a pair of small, thin bon^s, extending down the back of the 
shank nearly its entire length, and denominated the splint-bones of the 
fore-leg. Above the knee is the main bone of the leg (the radius), 
known amono; horsemen as the arm. It is the long-est and laro;est 
bone of the fore-leg. Above the arm is a bone of peculiar shape, 
named the ulna (elbow). Still higher up is the humerus, the upper 
bone of the arm, sometimes rather vaguely termed the shoulder-bone. 

Upon each side, at the shoulder, is a bone called the scapula, the 
shoulder-blade. This unites, at its lower extremity, with the hu- 
merus, from its articulation with which it spreads out and becomes very 
thin, with a rido-e like the letter "T'' running throui>:h its middle. It 
extends upward to the back-bone, to which it is united by muscle 
alone. This completes the bones of the fore-leg. 

Bones of the Hind-leg. — In the hind-leg, the bones are precisely 
similar, until we reach the hock-joint, which is composed of six 
bones. The point or projection of the hock is called the os 
calcis, or heel-bone. Above this is the tibia (flute or pipe-bone), 
the largest bone of the whole structure. Behind this, and fittino- 
closely to it, is a small bone called fibula (signifying a clasp or 
buckle). The stifle-joint is formed by the tibia and the femur, or 
thigh-bone, which is next above. It is covered in front by the 
patella or knee-pan. The six bones of the haunches or hips, three 
on each side, complete the bones of the hind limbs. Upon the four 
legs, which serve as posts, rests the superstructure. 

Bones of the Head and Neck. — The most noteworthy of these are 
the superior and inferior maxillaries, or upper and lower jaw-bones. 
In these are set the teeth : 24 molars, or grinders — 6 on each side, 
both above and below; 12 incisors or front teeth — six above and six 
below; and 4 canine teeth, or tushes — one on each side, above and 
below, which, how^ever, are generally missing in the mare. 

The bones of the skull are thin plates, curved so as to give the head 
its shape, and locked together by saw-like or dove-tailed edges, to 
prevent displacement. The principal ones, from their several posi- 
tions, are respectively called the frontal, nasal, and occipital (eye) 
bone. Underneath the two former are innumerable little scales or 
sheets of bone, some of them entirely unconnected with the others, 
but most of them united to the several bones of the head. These are 



148 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

SO arranged as to form many irregular cavities, technically designated 
sinuses. 

On the top of the head, and at the beginning of the neck, is a 
double and yet united bone on each side — the temporal bone — to 
which the first bone of the neck (the atlas) is attached by that pecu- 
liar ligament, commonly known as the whit-leather, which is found 
nowhere in the whole body except here and at the top of the shoulder. 

Bones of the Spine and Tail. — Here begins the line of the verte- 
brse forming the spine. This consists of thirty-one bones linked 
together by lock-joints. The seven joints of the neck are called the 
cervical vertebrae, and those of the back proper, the dorsal vertebrae. 
The latter are eighteen in number, each having an upward projection, 
varying in length at different parts of the back. At the shoulder 
this projection is never less than three inches, and in some horses is 
as much as four or five. It becomes less toward the middle of the 
back, at which point it is not more than from an inch and .a half to 
two inches in length. The six lumbar vertebrte, or bones of the 
loins, comes next, and complete the spine proper. The spinal column, 
however, is continued by the sacrum (literally, the sacred bone), and 
the bones of the tail, whose number is not uniform in different ani- 
mals, but averao;es about seventeen. 

Many anatomists, among whom is Strangeways, adopt a slightly dif- 
ferent classification as regards the bones of the spinal column. They 
consider the sacrum to be made up of five bones, which are denominated 
the sacral vertebrfe. Some writers state that the bones of the tail 
vary between 13 and 20, a great length of this part being called a 
"long dock." It is a very frequent practice to dock or cut off a 
great part of the tail to make an imaginary improvement in the looks. 
This has long been the "fashion" in Europe, and apparently is 
becoming the same in America. 

The Ribs. — The ribs — eighteen upon each side — are so arranged 
as to give form and strength to the bodv, and protect the vital organs 
from injury. The sternum, or breast-bone, is composed of six or 
seven pieces, and constitutes the fioor of the chest. It is a long, 
spongy bone, fixed between the ribs on either side, serving as a slip- 
port for the eight true ribs — the forward ones — which closely artic- 
ulate with it. 

We have thus given a sketch of the horse's entire frame-work, with 
all the bones that compose it, and the principal offices they perform. 
The diseases of the bones will be considered elsewhere. 



OUTLINP: of the horse S STRUCTUItE. 



149 



Another View. — We present another view of the skeleton (from 
the left instead of the right side), showing also the outline of the 
horse's form, as some of our readers will doubtless prefer. Its ex- 
planation is as follows : 




Commencing at the head, C shows the atlas; F the withers and 
below the dorsal vertebra^, the withers being formed by spinous pro- 
cesses of the anterior dorsal vertebrsB; G, lumbar vertebra?; H, sacral 
vertebras; I, coccygeal vertebra?. These constitute the jointed pro- 



150 THE AMERICAN FARMer's HORSE BOOK. 

cesses respectively of the neck, back and tail. J is the scapula, or 
shoulder blade; K, humerus; L, radius, or bone of the arm; M, 
carpus or knee; N, trapezium; O, metacarpal bones, or bones of the 
leg; P, OS suffraginis, or great pastern; R, os coronre, or small past- 
ern; S, OS pedis, or coffin-bone, the outline being the hoof outside 
the bone; T-T, the ribs. 

Coming noAV to the figures, 4 shows the pelvis, consisting of three 
parts; 13, the ilium; 14, the ischium, and the pubis, hidden in the 
illustration; 5 is the patella; 6, the femur; 7, tibia; 8, stifle-joint; 9, 
sesamoid bones; 10, fetlock joint; 11, ulna or point of elbow; and 
12, the costal cartilages, or cartilages connecting the true ribs. The 
small letters show at a, the great metatarsal bones ; b, the great 
pastern of the hind-leg; d, the small pastern; f, the dorsal vertebrte, 
and y, the fibula. 

III. Structure and Classification of the Bones. 

The bones are composed of two kinds of textures. The outer or 
compact tissue is hard and ivory-like, while the inner or cancellated 
is spongy, porous and soft. Examine a section of compact bone 
under a microscope, and you will see a great many little openings, 
surrounded by a lot of rings. These openings are exceedingly small, 
only 1-200 to 1-2000 of an inch across, but they are sufficiently large 
to allow the vessels that feed the bone to pass through. The small 
black spots and lines act as reservoirs and canals for the nourishment 
of tlie bones. They are called respectively laciinoe and canalicuJi. 

The bones are divided into the three classes of long, flat and irreg- 
ular, each class being specially suited for different parts of the body 
and their special uses. The long bones are found principally in the 
legs, and are very strong, being the weight supporters. They are com- 
posed of the two tissues already spoken of, and contain a hole in the 
center in which is found the marrow. The flat bones have the same 
structure as the long, but, as a rule, have no central cavity, though in 
a few of them is a cavity containing air. They are found protecting 
the vital organs. The bones over the face and brain, and the scapula 
and ril)s over the heart and lungs are examples. The irregular bones 
arc the bones not included among the other two classes. They are 
very strong, and of all sorts of shapes, being found generally near 
joints, as the knees, hocks, vertebral column, and in the skull. 

The marrow which is contained in the central cavity of the bone, 
is a soft yellow fat, containing a (|uantity of blood vessels and other 



OUTLINE OF THE HOESe's STRUCTURE. 151 

textures. It disappears to a large extent during disease. Birds 
have air, instead of marrow, in the center of their large bones. The 
covering of the bones is called the periosteum. It completely invests 
their external surfaces, is very tough and inelastic, and has the power 
of formino; bone from certain little bone-cells which it contains. 
When inflamed, the periosteum becomes the seat of great pain, owing 
to its inelasticity; so, also, when any kind of bony tumor forms be- 
neath it, pushing it out and stretching it, as in splints and spavins. 
Where two or more bones come in contact or articulate, there is al- 
ways found a layer of cartilage or gristle, thus permitting friction 
of the parts without injury. Gristle is destitute of blood vessels, 
but its nutrition is maintained by the parts around. It is made up of 
small cells, and is elastic in character. 

IV. The Muscles. 

The entire movements of the body and limbs, with a few trifling 
exceptions, are effected by the agency of that peculiar substance 
known in our butchers' shops as flesh, and by anatomists as muscular 
tissue. The muscles are of two kinds, voluntary and involuntary. 
The former are under the direct control of the will, while the latter 
are not. 

The voluntary muscles constitute the chief bulk of the soft parts 
outside the three great cavities of the body (the cranial, thoracic, and 
abdominal). They possess great power of motion, being composed 
of numberless little strings, or fibers, each of which has a contractile 
and elastic power of itself, the whole being so arranged as best to 
serve the purpose intended. While each fiber has an independent 
elasticity, it acts, at the same time, in conjunction with all the others 
in the muscle of which it forms a part, so that their united power 
becomes very great. This may be Tealized when we consider that it 
is they which give to the horse his immense strength. Each muscle 
terminates in a more solid, compact, whitish substance, commonly 
called a cord. Such it really is, acting with reference to the joint in 
the same manner as the cord to a pulley. 

The tissue which con.stitutes the involuntary muscles is found dis- 
tributed throughout the digestive tract, and the various organs, as the 
bladder, glands, skin, and blood vessels. These fibers differ from 
the voluntary in not ending in tendons. Both kinds of muscles re- 
ceive very liberal supplies of blood, and contain many nerves. 



152 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

The muscles possess but a limited degree of sensibility. When 
the flesh is cut by any sharp instrument, comparatively little pain is 
experienced after the skin and subcutaneous tissues are passed through. 
They are but seldom the seat of disease, except such as proceeds from 
external injuries. Sometimes, however, ulcers establish themselves 
within the muscular tissues, which occasion great swelling, and dis- 
charge immense quantities of matter. 

V. Muscle versus Pat. 

Among; horse dealers it is a common remark, in discussing the 
qualities of a particular horse, that "he has muscle." This, of 
course, refers not to the number of the muscles, but to their size 
and power. One horse has as numy muscles as another. It is only 
in their size and quality — in their flexibility and elasticity — that any 
difference can occur. Here, however, it is very great; and hence 
one important reason for the extremes Avhich are found in the market 
value of different animals. A horse's power depends much less upon 
the amount of his muscle than upon its quality. The superior 
strength and quickness of some horses are principally owing to their 
muscular fibers being stronger, more elastic, and possessing greater 
power of contraction than those of others. 

Fattening; an animal does not increase his muscles or his streng;th; 
nothing but the adipose (fatty) matter is increased. This gives to 
the parts a full and rounded appearance, so much admired in the 
horse, and also covers up many serious defects. Excessive accumula- 
tion of fat becomes an obstruction to muscular action. A full, 
rounded form is not an evidence of fine qualities, nor leanness of a 
lack of them. The horse which is thin in flesh, but in good health 
and well fed, possesses more nuiscular power and action, and es- 
pecially greater endurance, than one very fat. Besides this, the lat- 
ter is n)uch more liable to disease. While these are facts known to 
every horseman, it is equally true that a certain amount of adipose 
matter, with regular and proper exercise, is essential to the posses- 
sion of the highest degree of vital energy and strength. 

There are an immense number of minute glands in the skin, secret- 
ing an oily substance, which, oozing out at the pores, oils the entire 
surface of the skin. Thus the latter is kept soft and pliant, the hair 
smooth and glossy, and to the horse is imparted one of his chief 
beauties. This is Nature's own mode of adornment. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 's STRUCTURE. 



153 



VI. The Tendons. 




Of these there are a great many, but the limits of our work will 
not permit us, any more than in the case of the muscles, to attempt 
to classify them, or make any fur- ^v^x 

ther mention of them than simply 
as they come within the scope of 
our purpose — the history and treat- 
ment of the diseases of the horse. 
Most of the muscles end in tendons, 
and by these are attached to the 
bones, principally at the joints. To 
borrow a figure from mechanics, the 
bones may be considered the pulleys, 
the tendons the ropes, and the muscles 
the power pulling at the end of the 
ropes. Though, in general, non- 
elastic, the tendons possess great 
hardness and toughness, and serve 
an important purpose in the animal 
economy. Every joint, of course, is 
provided with them, since it is only 
by their assistance that motion is obtained at all. They are liable to 
diseases of various kinds, which are not always easily cured. 

"VII. The Membranes. 

The membranes are of two different kinds, the mucous and the 
serous. The former line all the cavities of the body which commu- 
nicate with the air, as the digestive tract and its appendaaes, the 
lungs, bladder, nose, etc. The serous membranes, which line the 
closed cavities, as the abdominal, chest and brain cavities, form a 
double covering for the different organs, and the material which they 
secrete lubricates their surface, so as to allow their free movement. 
If such secretion is suspended, from disease or injuries, friction of 
the parts will cause inflammation. 

The membranes have received different names, according to their 
locations and the parts which they invest. The prefix peri, signify- 
ing over or covering, is used in connection with nearly all the more 
important of them, and, when thus employed, it designates the mem- 
brane which is over, or which incloses, the particular organ or part. 



horse's foot and ankle. 

he tendons that move the foot are shown 
at G, E and F, 



154 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Thus the periosteum invests the bones ; the pericranium lines the 
skull ; the pericardium is the sack in which the heart is placed ; the 
peritoneum is the strong investing membrane of the external surface 
of the bowels, and covers the walls of the entire abdominal cavity. 
A notable exception to the usual nomenclature of the membranes is 
afforded by the pleura, which envelops the lungs, and lines the cavity 
of the thorax, or chest. Every farmer and butcher's boy is familiar 
with the smooth, glossy appearance of the serous membrane through- 
out the regions of the lungs and bowels, and elsewhere, in the anat- 
omy of the various domestic animals. 

The use of the serous membranes is to protect the organs which 
they inclose. This membrane is very thin, yet hard and tough. It is 
cut or penetrated wath more difficulty than any other part of the body, 
except the bones. From its smooth surface, hurtful foreign sub- 
stances readily glide off, unless the force with wdiich they strike is 
very considerable. One striking peculiarity of this membrane is its 
insensibility. It is too thin itself to contain nerves or blood-vessels 
of much size. Yet a large number of these lie immediately beneath 
it. It is liable to diseases, and may, of course, be torn or ruptured. 

VIII. The Skin and its Three Layers. 

The skin is the roof and covering of the horse's entire structure. 
The hair forms an essential appendage of the skin, and is most ap- 
propriately considered in connection with it. This is the clothing of 
the horse's body, renewed by Nature once a year. We extract from 
Youatt's excellent work the following interesting description of the 
skin and its functions : 

"The skin of the horse resembles in construction that of other ani- 
mals. It consists of three layers, materially differing in their struc- 
ture and office. Externally is the cuticle — the epidermis, or scarf- 
skin — composed of innumerable thin, transparent scales, and extend- 
ing over the whole animal. If the scarf-skin is examined by means 
of a microscope, the existence of scales, like those of a fish, is readily 
detected. In the action of a blister, they are raised from the skin 
beneath in the form of pellucid bladders, and, in some diseases, as in 
mange, they are thrown off in hard, dry, white scales, numerous 
layers of which are placed one above another. In every part of the 
body the scarf-skin is permeated by innumerable pores, some of which 
permit the passage of the hair ; through others the perspirable matter 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



155 




finds a passage ; others are perforated bj tubes, through which various 
unctuous secretions make their escape. 

"There is, at all times, a singular change taking place in the outer 
covering of the animal. There is a constant alteration and renewal 
of every part of it, but it 
adheres to the true skin, 
through the medium of 
the pores, and also nu- 
merous little eminences 
or projections, which 
contain prolongations of 
the nerves of the skin. 
The cuticle is itself in- 
sensible, but one of its 
most important functions 
is to protect and defend 
the parts beneath, which 
are so often exposed to a 
morbid sensibility. 

"Beneath the cuticle 
is a thin, soft substance, 
through which the pores 
and eminences of the 
true skin pass. It is 
termed the rete mucosiim, from its web-like structure, and its soft, 
mucous consistence. Its ofiice is to cover the minute vessels and 
nerves in their way from the cutis to the cuticle. It is also connected 
with the color of the skin. In horses with white hair, the rete muco- 
sum is white ; it is brown in those of a brown color ; black in the 
black, and in patches of different colors with those the hue of whose 
integument varies. Like the cuticle, it is reproduced after abrasion 
or other injury. 

"The cutis, or true skin, lies beneath the rete mucosum. It is de- 
cidedly of a fibrous texture, elastic, but Avith difficulty lacerated, ex- 
ceedingly vascular, and highly sensitive. It is the substance which 
is converted into leather when removed from the body, and binds to- 
gether the different parts of the frame. In some places it does this 
literally, and clings so closely to the substance beneath that it scarcely 
admits of any motion. This is the case about the forehead and the 



THE SKIN— GREATLY MAGNIFIED. 

E— Epidermis, or Outer Skin. 

D— Dermis, or True Sliin. 

1— Opening of Sweat Gland. 

5 — Sweat Gland. 

6— Hair. 

7— Sebaceous or Oil Gland. 

8 and 9 — Hair and its Coats. 



156 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

back, while upon the cheeks, the sides, and flanks, it hangs in loosened 
folds. In the parts connected with progression it is folded into vari- 
ous duplicatures, that the action of the animal may admit of the least 
possible obstruction. The cutis is thinnest and most elastic on those 
parts that are least covered with hair, or where th^ hair is altogether 
deficient, as the lips, the muzzle, and the inside of the flanks. What- 
ever is the color of the rete mucosum, the true skin is of a pale 
white. In fact, the cutis has no connection with the color of the 
hair. 

IX. Appendages and Functions of the Skin. 

"Over a great part of the frame lies a muscle peculiar to quadru- 
peds, and more extensive and powerful in the thin-skinned and thin- 
haired animals than those with thicker hides. It reaches from the 
pole over the whole of the carcass, and down to the arm before, and 
the stifle behind. By its contraction the skin is puckered in every di- 
rection, and if it acts strongly and rapidly, the horse is not only en- 
abled to shake off any insect that may annoy him, but sometimes to 
displace a great part of his harness. This muscle also assists the 
skin in bracing that part of the frame which it covers, and, perhaps, 
gives additional strength to the muscles beneath. It is called the 
jjanniculoiis carnosus (fleshy pannicle), or sometimes the fiy nuiscle. 

"The skin answers the double purpose of protection and strength. 
Where it is necessary that the parts should be bound and knit to- 
gether, it adheres so tightly that we can scarcely raise it. Thus the 
bones of the knees and the pasterns, and the tendons of the legs, on 
which so much stress is frequently thrown, are securely tied down 
and kept in their places. * * * Of its strength we have abund- 
ant proof, both in the living and dead animal. Its fibers are inter- 
laced in a most curious and intricate manner, so as, when living, to 
be scarcely lacerable, and converted into leather after death. 

"It is, while the animal is alive, one of the most elastic bodies with 
Avhich we are acquainted. It not only perfectly adapts itself to the 
slow growth or decrease of the body, and appears equally to fit, 
whether the horse is in the plumpest condition or reduced to a skele- 
ton ; but when a portion of it is distended to an extraordinary degree, 
in the most powerful action of the muscles, it, in a moment, again 
contracts to its usual dimensions. 

"It is principally indebted for this elasticity to almost innumerable 
minute glands, which pour out an oily fluid that softens and supples 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE's STRUCTURE, 157 

it. When the horse is in health, and every organ discharges its 
proper functions, a certain quantit}^ of this unctuous matter is spread 
over the surface of the skin, and is contained in all the pores that 
penetrate its substance; and the skin becomes pliable, easily raised 
from the texture beneath, and presenting that peculiar yielding soft- 
ness and elasticity which experience has proved to be the best proofs 
of the condition, or, in other words, the general health of the animal. 
Then, too, from the oiliness and softness of the skin, the hair lies in 
its natural and proper direction, and is smooth and glossy. When 
the sj^stem is deranged, and especially the digestive system, and the 
vessels concerned in the nourishment of the animal act feebly, those 
of the skin evidently sympathize. This oil is then no more thrown 
out; the skin loses its pliancy; it seems to cling to the animal, 
and we find that peculiar appearance which we call hide-bound." 

X. The Pores and Perspiration. 

The pores are the openings of the deep-seated glands of the skin. 
These glands are of two kinds, — the sudorific or sweat glands, which 
secrete the perspiration, and the sebaceous or oil glands, which se- 
crete an unctuous fluid for softening the skin and hair. The secre- 
tion of sweat is more plentiful in some parts of the body than in 
others. "Besides the avenues already mentioned, through which 
proceeds the unctuous fluid that supples and softens the skin, there 
are others more numerous, by means of which a vast quantity of 
aqueous fluid escapes, and perspiration is carried on. As in the 
human being, this actually exists in a state of health and quietness, 
although imperceptible; but when the animal is excited by exercise, 
or labors under some stages of disease, it becomes visible, and ap- 
pears in the form of drops. 

"This process of perspiration is not, however, so far under the 
control of medicine as in the human being, but there are a few drugs 
that will certainly produce it. Warm clothing seems occasionall}^ to 
effect it, but this is more in appearance than in reality. The insen- 
sible perspiration cannot escape through the mass of clothing, and 
assumes a visible form. * * * Of the existence of absorbent 
vessels on the skin, or those which take up some fluid or substance, 
and convey it into the circulation, we have satisfactory proof. A 
horse is even more easily salivated than the human being." 



158 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

XI. The Hair. 

In some .parts of the horse's body — especially at the neck, where 
the mane appears, and from the dock, whence depends the tail — 
grows a peculiarly coarse, strong, stiff hair. This is the horse-hair 
of upholsters and housekeepers, and is never shed. If it is plucked 
out or rubbed off, it grows out again, although slowly. The long 
hairs found on the muzzle, and known as "cat hairs," are very sensi- 
tive, as the endings of sensory nerves are enclosed in their bulbs. 

But what chiefly interests us in this connection is the general coat 
of hair which Nature has not only bestowed upon the horse as cloth- 
ing, but has so arranged that it adapts itself to the extremes of heat 
and cold of the varying seasons. In the spring the old coat of thick, 
coarse hair comes off, and discovers a new one, about half an inch in 
length, ready to supply its place. This coat is finer and much 
thinner than that which has just been shed, and is admirably adapted 
to the change in temperature. When the horse is in health, it has a 
smooth, glossy appearance, and is soft and downy to the touch. As 
the season again changes and the cold increases, a new suit of hair 
begins to show itself, much thicker and coarser. This is in addition 
to the finer summer coat, and together they form a dense covering of 
hair, capable of shielding the animal from great degrees of cold. 

The oft-repeated assertion that the horse becomes much weakened 
and unhealthy during the process of shedding is not borne out by the 
facts. If any animal exhibits any such unfavorable symptoms at this 
period, the causes may be much more reasonably set down to the 
change in the seasons, and the change from the stable, with its con- 
finement and drj', unnatural diet, to out-door life and grass. 

Each hair consists of a root, shaft and point. The root has an en- 
largement at its end which fits into a little papilla? at the bottom of 
the pore from which the hair issues. Into these pores the sweat and 
oily secretions are poured from the glands, and from here they easily 
find their way to the skin. The shaft has two coats, central and ex- 
ternal. The central coat generally contains coloring matter. There 
are oily secretions in the skin, as alread}' described, which in health 
pour out, and, spreading over the hair, give it the beautiful, glossy 
appearance all so much admire; but when disease is at work, these 
fountains are often closed, the coat assumes a rough, ragged look, and 
the hair stands out stiff, dry and bristling. The cut on page 155 is a 
greatly magnified view of a minute portion of the skin, containing 
two hairs, with sweat and oil lilands. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



159 



XII. The Blood. 

Tlie blood is composed of two elements, the corpuscles and the 
liquor sanguinis. The corpuscles are likewise of two kinds, the red 
and the white, the former being far the more numerous. They owe 
their red color to a peculiar coloring substance called heemoglobin, 
containing some iron, and forming about ninety per cent, of the cor- 
puscle. The white corpuscles are larger than the red, and of an irreg- 
ular round shape, and they have a certain amount of independent 
movement. They are seen in great number in inflammation of the 
different parts, and are also more plentiful after eating. 

The blood of the horse differs but slightly from that of the human 
being. The important function which the vital fluid discharges in the 
animal economy, is sufliciently indicated by the character and variety 
of its constituent elements, all of which are needed to repair the 
waste and decay of the system, and which the blood is constantly car- 
rying to every" part. In studying the blood of the horse at any par- 
ticular season, we are studjang his general condition ; and to keep the 
blood pure is the secret of maintaining the animal in health. 

XIII. Plan of the Circulation. 

The arrows indicate the direction in which the blood flows in the dif- 
ferent vessels. The vessels (arteries) that convey the pure or oxygen- 
ated blood, are indicated by the absence of all 
shading; and those which convey impure or venous 
blood are represented by heavy shading. 

A — Capillaries on the general surface in all parts of the 
body, forming the intricate net-work of minute vessels by 
which the veins and arteries are connected. 

JB — One of the vena cavae, which are the two great veins 
through which, all the venous blood in the body is finallj^ 
returned to the right auricle of the heart. 

C — The right auricle, from which the venous blood passes 
into the right ventricle. 

D — The right ventricle, from which the venous blood 
passes into the pulmonary artery. 

E — The pulmonary artery, which carries the still impure 
or venous blood to the lungs. "^ 

i^— The capillaries of the lungs, spread out over the im- ■^^^^ulation ^^^^~ 
mense extent of surface afforded by the air-cells. In these 

the blood is purified, by the processes of decarbonization and oxygenization. They 
unite and form the pulmonary veins, one of which is indicated in the cut, near 
the uppermost of the downward-pointing arrows, but is not lettered. 




160 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Q The left auricle of the heart, which receives the now purified (oxygen- 
ated) blood from the pulmonary veins, and from which it passes to the left ven- 
tricle. 

2/— The left ventricle, the contraction of whose powerful walls forces the 
blood out through the aorta and the successive subdivisions of the arteries to 
all parts of the system. 

/—The aovLa posterior, dividing and subdividing into smaller arteries, which 
finally unite with the capillaries at A, where begins once more the venous cir- 
cuhition. The aorta posterior is the great artery which supplies the abdomen 
and all the hind extremities with blood. The latter is now freighted with nu- 
trition extracted in the intestines from the food, and conveyed into the general 
^circulation through the thoracic duct (not shown in the cut) and the anterior vena 
cava. 

j_The trunk of the aorta anterior, the great artery which supplies the con- 
tents of the thorax, or chest, and all the fore extremities, etc., with the i)ure 
and nutritious blood. It ramifies and terminates in the same manner as the 
aorta jjosterior. 

The circulatory process in animal life suggests the comparison of a 
pond or lake, first fed by a fcAV considerable streams, which have been 
formed by other and smaller ones, and these, in turn, by a multitude 
of little rills, originating in drops of water oozing almost impercep- 
tibly from the earth; then the lake is drained by other channels, 
which divide and subdivide into innumerable rivulets and trickling 
streams, until, at last, all become absorbed and lost beneath the sur- 
face. Yet from the reservoir, hidden in the bowels of the earth, the 
water finds its way to the surface, where it again oozes out in drops, 
which accumidate in streamlets and rivers, to feed the lake as before. 
Afjain the outlets spread out upon the other side, and ramify, until 
they are swallowed up beneath the surface. Thus the round contin- 
ues indefinitely. 

In a similar ruanner the functions of circidation are carried for- 
ward. The heart is the reservoir; the veins, the feeding streams; 
the arteries, the streams that flow away upon the other side. 

XIV. The Circulatory System. 

The circulatory system of the horse, like that in the human body, 
consists of the arteries, veins, and capillaries. The arteries are the 
vessels which convey the red oxygenized or pure blood from the heart 
to every part of the body. The capillaries are the net-work of minute 
vessels which ramify through every organ and part, and, though gen- 
erally spoken of as constituting a distinct system of blood-vessels, 
are properly to be regarded as simply the termination of the arteries 
and the commencement of the veins — the connecting links between 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 'S STRUCTURE. 161 

the arterial and venous systems. The veins are the ducts through 
which the blood, now become of a dark color from the presence of 
effete materials, returns to the heart. 

The Arteries. — Each artery has three distinct coats. The outer 
one is of a cellular structure, and is capable of great distension ; that 
upon the inside is a serous membrane, presenting internally a smooth 
surface, which serves to diminish the friction of the blood as it rushes 
on. The middle coat, largely composed of muscular fibers, is highly 
elastic. In it resides the power — without which circulation would be 
all but impossible — of equalizing the flow of blood, and accelerating 
it when considerably removed from that great central force-pump of 
the system, the heart. 

The Veins. — Although made up of the same number of coats, the 
walls of the veins are much thinner and weaker. These vessels are 
much more numerous than the arteries, notwithstanding which their 
ramifications may be described, in general terms, as corresponding 
with the latter. Their internal area is nearly double that of the ar- 
teries. They are, of course, nmch less directl}^ affected by the action 
of the heart. Hence, their pulsations are never perceptible except in 
disease, and the blood flows through them more slowly. A feature 
peculiar to the veins is the existence of valves, of various construc- 
tion, which prevent the blood from returning upon its course, and as- 
sist in impelling it toward the heart. These are sometimes single, at 
others double, and occasionally are arranged in three or four folds 
around the interior of most, thouo;h not all, of the hiro-e veins. 

Pulmonary Circulation. — Thus far we have considered only the 
general circulation. When we come to the beautiful process known 
as the pulmonary circulation, a portion of our description nmstbe ex- 
actly reversed — the pulmonary artery conveying the impure, dark 
blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs, where it is 
oxygenized, or purified, and thence returns to the left auricle of the 
heart, through the pulmonary vein, possessed of a scarlet brightness. 
Interesting phenomena occur in connection with what physiologists 
term the portal circulation (pertaining to the liver), but they are ex- 
ceptional and local. We must pass on to consider the general plan 
of the circulation, which has been already anticipated in some measure. 

XV. The Circulatory Process Described. 
After the purified blood has been returned to the left auricle of the 
heart, by the means just indicated, it passes into the left ventricle, 
n 



162 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

whose thick, muscular walls contract with immense power, and force 
it out, through the proper valves, into the aorta, the great arterj^ of 
the whole body. This, after proceeding about two inches, divides 
into two large branches. The smaller branch is extended, by a mul- 
titude of subdivisions, to every part of the head and fore extremities; 
the larger one, in a similar manner, throughout the body and hind 
extremities. 

The blood is now freighted with the varied elements necessary for 
repairing those losses, by natural decaj^ and wear and tear, which every 
tissue in the whole body is constantly undergoing. This reparative 
process is what physiologists call nutrition. It is conducted in the 
capillaries, the minute and hair-like vessels in Avhich the arteries every- 
where terminate. Although the capillaries vary greatly in their 
modes of ramification, according as they minister to gland, mem- 
brane, or muscular fiber, their ofiices are the same in all locations. 
Their services include, beside nutrition, the gathering up of the worn- 
out, worthless particles of matter which the organs of excretion are 
continually throwing off, through the circulation, in all parts of the 
system. In the performance of these duties, capillary action changes 
the color of the blood from a scarlet to a brownish red. It also de- 
velops animal heat. 

The veins now receive this dark blood at their origin amid the net- 
work of the capillaries, and convey it back to the heart. As they 
approach that organ, they continue to unite, and grow larger, and at 
length they pour their entire contents through the two vena cava', 
the vems which correspond to the great arterial branches of the aorta, 
into the right auricle. Only a thin Avail of muscle now separates the 
blood from its starting-point, at the outlet of the left ventricle, upon 
the other side of the heart. But through this partition there is no 
passage; nor is the blood ready to pass to the other side, if there was 
one. Before it can be sent forth again to minister to the needs of 
the body, it must be purified. Not only must the particles of effete, 
cast-off matter, which it has accumulated from every part of the sys- 
tem, be eliminated and thrown off; but the chyle also — the substance 
into which the nutritive elements of the food have been previously 
converted by digestion — must be submitted to yet another process 
before it becomes fully prepared to afford the means of nutrition to 
the constantly disorganizmg tissues of all kinds. (The chyle, it must 
be understood, empties into one of the vena cavm through the the- 



OUTLINE OF THE HOESE's STRUCTURE. 163 

racic duct, and mingles with the venous blood which is returned to the 
right auricle, freighted now with the materials of nutrition.) 

These objects are accomplished through the pulmonary circulation 
already mentioned. The lungs, composed of two lobes, are of a 
spongy texture, and filled with innumerable little air-cells. They are 
furnished with an exceedingly fine net-work of capillary vessels, dis- 
tributed on their walls, and throughout the surface of all the air-cells 
also. The impure venous blood, as it circulates through the capilla- 
ries, is submitted to the agency of atmospheric air under extremely 
favorable circumstances. It absorbs the oxygen of the air, and, at 
the same time, gives off large volumes of carbonic acid gas, this be- 
ing the form in which the accumulated impurities of the blood now 
exist. The wonderful rapidity with which this process is carried on 
may be understood, when it is considered that the extent of surface 
upon which the minute capillaries ramify in the lungs is estimated to 
be ten or twelve times that of the skin. 

Ramifications and Importance of tlie Process. — Having been thus 
purified, the blood regains its bright red, or scarlet, appearance, and 
is again propelled forward, through the heart and arteries, upon the 
same excursion as before. It reaches every part of the body, per- 
fectly ramifies throughout every organ, and permeates every muscle, 
tendon, ligament, bone, and even to the skin itself, and every hair 
upon its surface. There is no part, however minute, remote, or un- 
important, to which it does not find its way, by means of the divisions 
and innumerable subdivisions of the vessels which convey it. There 
is no tissue anywhere in the entire system which does not receive from 
the blood the elements essential for its development and health — the 
materials, in fact, of which it is composed. After its work is done 
here, the blood becomes the scavenger of the bodv, collecting the 
impure and deleterious excretions, and returning with them to the 
heart and thence to the lungs, there to be exhaled in the breath, as 
already described. The importance of the arterial flow can hardly 
be estimated. Without it no function could be discharged, and, in 
fact, life itself would be extinct. Yet it may be made the sure means 
of disease, by forcing into it harmful and poisonous substances. 
Great and constant attention should be exercised in regard to the 
materials introduced into the stomach, either as food or medicine, 
since they so surely and speedily find their way into the blood. 



164 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



XVI. The Heart. 

Of the heart much has necessarily been said in the preceding sec- 
tions. All that now remains to be added is a description of its differ- 
ent I3arts5 and their functions. It occupies the space between the lungs 
denominated the mediastinum, and is invested by. a double membrane 
of its own, called the jpericardium. This forms a little sac, whose 




THE HEART, AORTA, ETC. (THE CHEST OPENED ON LEFT SIDE.) 

a— Pericardium, covering; the Heart. 
6— Left Ventricle, 
c— Right Ventricle. 

c— Aorta to Anterior and Posterior Ports. 
/—Pulmonary Artery to Lungs (cut through). 
(7— Anterior Ven;B CavM. 
7t — Posterior Venio Cavw. 
/S— ailsoi)hagus, the passage from Mouth to Stomach. 

office it is to support the heart in its natural position, and prevent 
friction* between the heart and the surrounding parts. 

Four cavities occupy the spaces within the walls of the heart — two 
above, called auricles, from their fancied resemblance in form to the 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 'S STRUCTURE. 165 

ear, and two below, called ventricles. The walls of each ventricle are 
much thicker than those of the auricle upon the same side, and also 
in the left ventricle than in the right. Wliy this difference is quite 
plain, from the uses of these several parts, as explained in the last 
section. The ventricles are in that part of the heart toward its apex. 

Into the right auricle open the two vena cavas and the coronary 
veins, — those which supply the heart itself with blood. The right 
ventricle communicates with the right auricle by an orifice provided 
with a valve. From it arises the pulmonary artery, through which 
the venous blood is forced to the lungs by the contraction of this ven- 
tricle. After being purified in the lungs, the blood is carried back to 
the left auricle of the heart by the four pulmonary veins (eight in 
number when they leave the lungs), which thus carry arterial blood. 
From the left auricle the blood passes, by the mitral valve, into 
the left ventricle, whose powerful walls contract and force it out into 
the aorta, the great arterial trunk, from Avhich diverge, by successive 
subdivisions, all the other arteries in the body. 

We have seen that there is no communication through the muscular 
partition separating the right and left sides of the heart. This mode 
of structure gives greatly increased power to the contraction of the 
heart, which is simultaneous upon both sides, and separates the im- 
pure blood on one side from the pure blood on the other. 

The Pulse. — The blood, then, is forced through the arteries by 
successive impulsions, which are caused by contractions of the heart. 
When an artery of considerable size comes near the surface, these 
successive impulsions may be distinctly seen through the skin and 
coats of the artery, or they ma}^ be felt by laying the finger upon 
them, at any spot where they pass over some bone, which explains 
the pulse felt in the human wrist, and that on the jaw of the horse. 
Similar pulses are found in other parts of the body, but none so plain 
and distinct. We say the pulse is slow when the heart acts slug- 
gishly; and fast when, from disease or excitement, its action is height- 
ened. The beats of the pulse simply indicate so many impulsions of 
the blood from the heart. 

XVII. The Feet. 

Volumes might be written in regard to the feet, so peculiar is their 

construction, so important their uses, so severe their service, and so 

numerous the diseases with which they are afiiicted. Many of the 

latter are among the most obstinate and serious of all the ailments to 



166 



THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




which horse-flesh is heir. In the veterinarian's descriptions, us iii h:.; 
practice, a hirge proportion of his time must be devoted to the feet. 

The hoof is the horn}^ crust or wall that incloses the sensible or liv- 
ing portion of the foot. It extends from the hair downward to the 
edge that rests upon the ground. It is longest^ in front, where its 
extreme point is called the toe. Behind, it is open, and the crust ter- 
minates in a thick, porous skin, divided bj a seam at the back part 
of the foot, and presenting two convex, lateral extensions, which to- 
gether are called the froo-. At the 
top of the crust, where it unites witli 
the hair, is the coronary ring. This 
is a thick, spong}^ substance — soft 
hoof, in fact, in process of forma- 
tion. It is to the horse's feet what 
the roots of the nails are to the hu- 
man fingers and toes. Another crust, 
less brittle, and more elastic, extends 
under the foot, forming the sole, and 
presenting a somewhat concave sur- 
face to the ground. At the back part 
of the foot is a horny projection in 
the shape of a letter V, with its open- 
ing toward the heel. The two sides 
of this projection, which should unite 
at an angle of a])out fortv-tive de- 
grees, are called the bars. What 
horsemen call the inside quarter of the foot is that part without the 
bars, next to the opposite foot. The outside quarter lies upon the 
otVr side of the foot. Within the bars is the frog. This is of the 
color of dark India-rubber, which substance it resenddes in its degree 
of toughness and hardness, l)ut possessing less elasticity. The entire 
crust of the frog is insensible, but at the depth of al>out half an inch 
is found the sensible or living portion, exceedingly tender, and tilled 
with innumerable little nerves and blood-vessels. 

Inside of the hoof are two spongy bones — the coffin and shuttle- 
bones- {os pedis and o.s navicuJare) — which are, at times, the seat of 
most obstinate disease. These occupy little more than one-half the 
space within the hoof ; the remainder is tilled by cartilages, tendons 



horse's hoof. 

1— Wall. 

2-Sole. 

3— Heel. 

4— Bars. 

5— Frog. 

6— Cleft of the Frog, 

7— Point of the Froi- 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



167 



and tissues, through which ramify a greater proportionate distribu- 
tion of little nerves and blood-vessels than can be found in an}^ other 
part of the body. 

We herewith present another view of the hoof. This is a portion 
of the horse's anatomy that cannot be too well understood; for, as 
we have said before, no horse can possibly be a good horse whose 
feet are not sound. 



a — The external crust seen at the 
quarter. 

b — The coronary ring. 

c— The little horny plates lining 
the crust. 

d — The same continued over the 
bars. 

e e — The two concave surfaces of 
the inside of the horny frog. 

/ — That which externally is the 
cleft of the frog. 

(J — The bars. 

h — The rounded part of the heels, 
belonging to the frog. 




/ b e 

INSIDE VIEW OF THE HOOF. 



There are two very important tendons (the flexors), extending from 
the back part of the knee down to the foot. They pass down together 
under the hollow of the heel. One, dividing into two parts, is in- 
serted into the wings of the coffin-bone above the heels; the other 
passes under the navicular or shuttle-bone, which rests on il, and im- 
mediately above the elastic frog it is attached to the under surface of 
the coffin-bone, about its middle. Hence any injury which the frog- 
may sustain, will be likely to involve both this lower tendon and the 
shuttle-bone. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
OUTLINE OP THE HORSE'S STRUCTURE (Continued). 



I, THE BRAIN AND ADJOINING PARTS. II. ANATOMY OF THE BRAIN. III. 

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. IV. ANATOMY OF THE EYE. V. THE EYES 

PRINCIPAL PARTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS. VI. PHYSIOLOGY OF RESPIRA- 
TION. VII. THE LUNGS. VIII. OTHER RESPIRATORY ORGANS. IX. 

GLAND, SECRETION AND EXCRETION DEFINED. X. GLANDS OF THE MOUTH 

AND THROAT. XI. THE GULLET AND DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. XII. THE 

STOMACH. XIII. THE INTESTINES. XIV. THE LIVER. XV. THE PAN- 
CREAS, OR SWEET-BREAD. XVt. THE SPLEEN, OR MILT. XVII. THE 

URINARY ORGANS. XVIII. MALE GENERATIVE ORGANS. XIX. GENE- 
RATIVE ORGANS OF THE MARE. 

I. The Brain and Adjoining Parts. 
The cut represents a section of the head, and shows not only the 
location of the different parts of the brain, with the cranial bones 
which inclose it, but also gives the anatomy of that entire member, 
and of the neck. It will be found exceedingly useful for reference, 
in connection with several other sections of this work. 




SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE HORSE'S HEAD. 



a — The nasal bone, or bone of the nose. 

b — The frontal bone. The cavities or cells beneath are called the frontal sinuses, 
c — The crest or ridge of the parietal bones. 

1(38 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 'S STRUCTURE. 169 

d — The tentorium, or bony separation between tlie cerebrum and cerebellum. 

e — The occipital bone. 

/ — The ligament of the necli — tlie tohit-leather ov pack-ivax — by which the head is 
chieily supported. 

g — The atlas, sustaining or carrying; the first bone of the neclv. 

h — The dentata {tooth-like) or second bone of the neck. 

i — The cuneiform or wedge-shaped process, or base of the occipital bone. Be- 
tween it and the other portion of the occipital bone e, lies the great fora- 
men, or aperture, through which the prolongation of the brain — the spinal 
marrow — ^issues from the skull. 

k — The sphenoid {wedge-like) bone, with its cavities. 

I — The ethmoid {sieve-like) bone, with its cells. 

m — The cerebrum, or brain, with the appearance of its cortical and medullary 
substance. 

n — The cerebellum, or little brain, with its beautiful arborescent appearance. 

— A portion of the central medullary {marroiv-like) substance of the brain, and 
the prolongation of it under the name of the crus cerebri {leg of the brain), 
and from which many of the nerves take their origin. 

p — The medulla oblongata — the prolongation of the brain after the medullary 
substance of the cerebrum and cerebellum have united, and forming the 
commencement of the spinal marrow. The columnar appearance of this 
portion of the brain is represented, and the origins of the respiratory nerves. 

g — The spinal marrow extending through a canal in the center of the bones of 
the neck, back and loins, to the extremities of the tail, and from which the 
nerves of feeling and of motion, that supply every part of the frame, except 
the head, arise. 

r — The septum narium, or cartilaginous division between the nostrils. 

s — The same cut off at the lower part, to show the spongy turbinated {turban- 
shaped) bones filling the cavity of the nostril. 

t — The palate. 

u — The molar teeth, or grinders. 

V — The superior maxillary bone, containing the incisor teeth, or nippers and 
molars. 

w — The inferior maxillary, or lower jaw, with its incisors and molars. 

X — The lips. 

y — The tongue. 

z — A portion of the os hyoides, or bone of the tongue, like a Greek u, v. 

1 — The thyroid {helmet-shaped) cartilage of the larynx, inclosing and shielding 
the neighboring parts. 

2— The epiglottis, or covering of the glottis, or aperture of the wind-pipe. 

3 — The arytenoid {funnel-shaped) cartilage of the larynx, having between them 
the aperture leading into the trachea or wiud-pipe. 

4 — One of the chordae vocales, co»'ds or ligaments concerned in forming the voice. 

5 — The sacculus laryngis, sac or ventricle of the larynx, or throat, to modulate the 
voice. 

6 — The trachea, or wind-pipe, with its different rings. 

7 — The soft palate at the back of the mouth, which in the horse is so constructed 
as to prevent the possibility of vomiting. 

8 — The opening from the back part of the mouth into the nostril. 

9 — The cartilage covering the entrance into the eustachian tube, or communi- 
cation between the mouth and internal part of the ear. 



170 TPIE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

10— The cesopbagus, or gullet. 

11 — The cricoid {ring-like) cartilage of the larynx, below and behind the thjM'oid. 

12 — Muscle of the neck, covered by the membrane of the back part of the mouth. 

II. Anatomy of the Brain. 

A Wonderful Organization. — All the agents concerned in the ex- 
istence and movements of animal life wonld be utterly inert and 
powerless, had they not been combined with some motive power to 
excite and regulate their action. Such a motive power the Creator 
has provided in that wonderful organization, the nervous system, 
consisting of the brain, the spinal cord, and the nerves. 

There are many things difficult to be understood in regard to the 
nervous system and its operations. Some of these are too deep for 
the wisest and most learned to fathom, nuich less to satisfactorily ex- 
plain. But the careful reader can get a good general idea of the 
structure and offices of its different parts by means of the descriptions 
which we shall give, aided by the foregoing cut. We can do no better 
than to quote from Youatt : 

The Human and Equine Brain.— "The brain of the horse cor- 
responds with the ca^'ity in which it is placed. It is a flattened oval. 
It is divided into two parts, one much larger than the other — the 
cerebrum, or brain (see m, in cut), and the cerebellum, or little brain 
(see n). In the human being, the cerebrum is a])ove the cerebellum; 
in the quadruped it is below; and yet in both they retain the same 
relative situation. [This arises from the fact that in man the head 
surmounts the body perpendicularly, while in quadrupeds its position 
is relativel}' slanting,] He, who for the first time examines the brain 
of the horse will be struck with its comparatively diminutive size. 
The human brain is by far the largest in comparative balk; then the 
brain of the dog, the horse, the ox. Thus would the}^ be classed in 
the order of intelligence. 

The Two Substances of the Brain. — "When the brain is cut, it 
is found to be composed of two su])stances very unlike in appearance 
(see m, in cut) ; one, principally on the outside, gray or ash-colored, 
and, therefore, called the cortical {barlc-lihe), from its situation, and 
cineritious (afihen), from its color; and the other, lying deeper in 
the brain, and from its pulpy nature, called the medullar}/ substance. 
Although placed in apposition with each other, and seemingl}' ming- 
ling, they never run into the same mass, or change by degrees into 
one another, but are essentially distinct iii construction as well as in 
function. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 's STRUCTURE. 171 

"The medullary portion is connected with the nervous system. 
The nerves are prolongations of it, and are concerned in the discharge 
of all the offices of life. They give motion and energy to the limbs, 
the heart, the lungs, the stomach, and every part connected with life. 
They are the medium through which sensation is convej'^ed; and they 
supply the mind with materials to think and work upon. 

"The cineritious or cortical part has a different appearance, and is 
differently constituted. Some have supposed, and with much ap- 
pearance of truth, that it is the residence of the mind, receiving the 
impressions that are conveyed to the brain by the sensitive nerves, 
and directing the operation and action of those which give motion to 
the limbs. In accordance with this, it happens that, where superior 
intelligence is found, the cineritious portion prevails, and where little 
beside brute strength and animal appetite exist, the medullary por- 
tion is enlarged. There is, comparing bulk with bulk, less of the 
medullary substance in the horse than in the ox, and in the dog than 
in the horse. The additional bulk of brain is composed of cineritious 
matter." 

Before passing to the next section, we nmst not forget to mention 
the membranes of the brain. These are three in number, each com- 
pletely investing it. The outer or upper one is called the dura mater, 
and is fibrous in texture, and quite strong. The middle one, called 
arachnoid, is a serous member of the ordinary character. The inner 
one, denominated the pi a mater, is full of vessels, and is by far the 
most tender. Being next the brain, however, it is less exposed to in- 
jury than the others. The pia mater penetrates into ever}^ depres- 
sion, lines every ventricle, and clothes every portion of the brain. 

III. The Nervous System. 

"From the medullary substance (resumes Youatt), proceed certain 
cords or prolongations, termed nerves, by which the animal is enabled 
to receive impressions from surrounding objects, and to connect him- 
self with them, and also to possess many pleasurable or painful sen- 
sations. One of them is spread over the membrane of the nose, and 
gives the sense of smell ; another expands on the back of the eye, 
and the faculty of sight is gained; and a third goes to the internal 
structure of the ear, and the animal is conscious of sound. Other 
nerves, proceeding to different parts, give the facultv of motion, 
while an equally important one bestows the power of feeling. 



172 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Nerves cf Involuntary Motion. — "One division of nerves (see h, 
in cut), sj)ringing from a prolongation of the brain, and yet within 
the skull, wanders to different parts of the frame for important pur- 
poses connected with respiration or breathing. The act of breath- 
ing is essential to life, and were it to cease, the animal would die. 
These are nerves of involuntary motion ; so that, whether he is awake 
or asleep, conscious of it or not, the lungs heave, and life is sup- 
ported. 

Spinal Cord and Ganglia. — "Lastl}^ from the spinal cord (see §-, 
in cut), a further prolongation of the brain, and running through a 
cavity in the bone of the neck, back, and loins, and extending to the 
very tip of the tail, other nerves are given off at certain intervals. 
The spinal cord is composed of six distinct columns or rods, running 
through its whole length, three on either side. The two upper col- 
umns proceed from those tracks of the brain devoted to sensation. 
Numerous distinct libers spring abruptly from the column, which col- 
lect together, and passing through a little ganglion, or enlargement 
(an enlargement of a nervous cord is called a ganglion), become a 
nerve of sensation. From the lower or inner side — a prolongation of 
the track devoted to motion — proceed other fibers, which also collect 
gradually together, and form a nervous cord, giving the power of mo- 
tion. Beyond the ganglion the two unite and form a perfect spinal 
nerve, possessing the power of both sensation and motion ; and the 
fibers of the two columns proceed to their destinations, enveloped in 
the same sheath, and, apparently, one nerve. They are united, 3'et 
distinct; they constitute one nerve, yet neither their substance nor 
their ofiice is confounded. 

The Sympathetic Nerves. — "All these nerves are organs of sensa- 
tion and motion alone; but there are others whose origin seems to be 
outside of and below the brain. These are the sympaihctic, so called 
from their union and sympathy with all the others, and identified with 
life itself. They proceed from a small ganglion, or enlargement, in 
the upper part of the neck, or from a collection of little ganglia in 
the al)domen. They go to the heart, and it beats; and to the stom- 
ach, and it digests. They form a net-work around each blood-ves- 
sel, and the current flows on ; they surround the \qv\ minutest ves- 
sels, and the frame is nourished and built up; they are destitute of 
sensation, and they are perfectly beyond the control of the will." 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



173 



IV. Anatomy of the Eye. 




SECTIONAL VIEW OF THE EYE. 

The above is a sectional view of the eye, exhibiting its different 
parts. It also shows in what manner the sensation of sight originates. 

A B — A supposed object viewed by the animal, and an inverted image of which 

a, b, is thrown on the retina at the back of the eye. 
c c — The points where the rays, liaving passed the cornea and lens, converge by 

the refractive power of the lens. 
d e — The rays proceeding from the extremities of the object to the eye. 

/ — The cornea, or horny and transparent part of the eye, covered by the con- 
junctiva, uniting different parts together. 
g — The crystalline (crystal or glassy) lens, behind the pupil, and in front of 
the vitreous humor. 
h h — Muscles of the eye. 

i — The optic nerve, or nerve of sight. 

k — The sclerotica (hard, firm coat) covering the whole of the eye, except the 
portion occupied by the cornea, and being a seeming prolongation of the 
covering of the optic nerve. 
I — The cJwroides (receptacle or covering), or choroid coat, covered with a 
black secretion or paint. 
m m — The iris^ or rainbow-colored circulnr membrane under the cornea, in front 
of the eye, and on which the color of the eye depends. The duplicature 
behind is the uvea, so called from being colored like a grape. The open- 
ing in the center is the pupil. 
n n — The ciliary (hair-like) processes, which are folds or plaits of the choroid 
coat, reflected from the side of the eye to the edge of the crystalline lens. 
— The retina, or net-like expansion of the optic nerve, spread over the 

whole of the choroides as far as the lens. 
p p — The vitreous (glass-like) humor filling the whole of the cavity of the 
eye behind the lens. 
q — The aqueous (water-like) humor filling the space between the cornea 
and- the lens. 



V. The Eye's Principal Parts and Their Functions. 
We shall be better able to understand the various diseases of the 
horse's eye, if we can first get a correct idea of its structure and the 



174 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

functions of its different parts. With the help of the foregoing cut, 
this will not be difficult. 

The Eye's Three Coats. — The eye has three distinct membranes, 
or coats, and also three humors. The sclerotic coat (see k) is that 
upon the outside, covering about four-fifths of the globe of the eye. 
It is strong, firm and inelastic, b}^ which qualities it is admirably 
adapted to its office of protecting from external injury the delicate 
organ which it incloses. It is of a white color, and constitutes that 
membrane which is seen when the "white of the eye" is exposed. In 
the human being, this is very conspicuous ; but in the horse it is rarely 
visible, unless the animal meditates mischief, when he turns his 
glance outward or backward as far as he can, and thus shows a little 
patch of the sclerotic coat. 

In front — this being the part over which the sclerotica is not ex- 
tended — is the cornea (see/*). This is a perfectly transparent coat, 
set in like a watch-crystal in its case, under the circular edges of the 
sclerotica. It is the outer membrane upon the front of the eye. 

The choroid coat (see I) comes next, nearly similar in its extension 
to the sclerotic. It is an exceedingly fine membrane, filled with a 
net-work of blood-vessels, and covered upon the inside with a pecu- 
liar secretion, a black pigment or paint, which absorbs such wander- 
ing rays of light received within the e3^e as might dazzle or confuse 
the vision. Opposite the pupil (which will be described shortly) it 
has a beautiful, greenish-white lining, whose reflection, although not 
visible in the glare of clay, may be seen quite plainly in the gray of 
twilight. 

The inner coat of all is the retina (see o), the beautiful expansion 
of the optic nerve spread over the internal surface of the ej-e. This 
receives the impressions conveyed by the raj's of light, which, when 
they fall upon it, trace on its delicate and susceptible expansion a 
wonderfully minute yet perfect image of the object in view from 
whence the rays ha^e proceeded. By the optic nerve the sensation 
thus experienced is instantly communicated to the brain, the scat of 
intelligence, and in this way the animal is conscious of seeing. 

Three Humors. — The three humors of the eye are the aqucons and 
vitreous, and the crystalline lens, which comes between them. Anat- 
omists do not always call the lens a humor, but such it really is. 

The aqueous (watery) humor (see q) occupies the space between the 
cornea and crystalline lens. It is a perfectly transparent and limpid 



OUTLINE OF THE HOESE'S STRUCTURE. 175 

fluid, secreted by the lining of the chamber in which it lies. If the 
attenuated walls of this chamber are punctured, so that the humor 
escapes, Nature rapidly renews it, and the sight is restored. 

The crystalline lens (see g) consists of a number of concentric 
layers, arranged like the coats of an onion. It has a jelly-like con- 
sistence, and in shape is double-ccniA-ex, as represented in the cut. It 
is the chief agent in so modifjang and refracting the rays of light, 
which are continually proceeding from every object withm the range 
of vision, as to cause those raj's to clearly trace the miniature image 
upon the retina. Without this lens sight would be impossible. 

The vitreous (glass-like) Jiumor (see ^97;) fills the great bulk of the 
globe of the cyQ. It is a limpid fluid, but, being bound up in a net- 
work of transparent cells, it has the appearance and consistency of a 
thin jelly. 

The Conjunctiva. — In addition to these three membranes and three 
humors, there are three other important things to be mentioned in 
our description of the horse's eye. The first of these is the con- 
junctiva, which is the very delicate membrane covering the whole 
front part of the eye and the inside of the eye-lids. It is perfectly 
transparent when in health, but becomes blood-shot or filmy when in- 
flamed, which it is extremely liable to become. 

The Iris. — Another noticeable part which remains to be described is 
the iris (literally, the rainbow), so called from the beautifully inter- 
mingling hues which it displays. The cut, being a sectional view, 
docs not show the iris any further than to imperfectly indicate its 
location at m 7)1. It is a most elegant and delicate curtain, out- 
streched in the space between the cornea and cr3^stalline lens. Its 
ofiice is to moderate the light entering the eye, according to the in- 
tensity of the rays. This is the membrane that gives color to the 
eye, so variable in different animals and in the human species. In 
the horse its color is generally brown, or verging upon it. 

The Pupil. — But this curtain is not a continuous one; if it were, 
the inner chamber of the eye would necessarily be in a state of entire 
darkness. There is an aperture in the center, forming the impil, 
which is the last thino: we now have to describe in connection with 
the eye. The substance of the iris is composed of contractile tissue. 
When the glare of a noon-day sun, or other bright light, falls on the 
retina, the iris contracts, and the pupil is made smaller; but when 
the light which falls upon the retina is feeble — as it is at twilight, for 



176 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



instance — the iris relaxes and the pupil is enlarged, in order that all 
the rays possible may be admitted. The difference in the size of the 
pupil may be plainly seen by examining the eye of a sound horse, 
first in the stable, and then in the bright sunlight. One's own eyes 
(if a looking-glass be used), or those of a friend, will show similar 
changes, in this respect, when exposed to different intensities of light. 

VI. Physiology of Respiration. 

The important function of respiration is carried on through the 

lungs and the nasal cavities, and the tubes by which these are brought 

into communication, with the assistance of the respiratory muscles 

and the system of respiratory nerves. The physiology of respiration 




ORGANS OF THE NECK AND CHEST (OPENED ON THE LEFT SIDE). 

c — Larynx. 

rf— Trachea, or wiud-pipe. 

h — Left lung. 

/ — Heart. 

J — CEsophagus, the passage to the stomach. 

we have already explained in connection with the circulation. The 
lungs operate on the same principle as a pair of bellows. By the 
action of the res[)iratory muscles — situated on the thorax and abdo- 
men — the cavity of the chest is expanded, when the air rushes in to 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 'S STRUCTURE. 177 

fill the vacuum. The muscles then contract, and the air, laden with 
its foul gases, is forcibly expelled. They are under the control of 
the will, but only for a very short time. 

VII. The Lungs. 

The lungs are invested by the pleura, a serous membrane, which 
is reflected or doubled back upon the walls of the thorax, or chest. 
They consist of two conical, spongy bodies, called the right and left 
lobes of the lungs. They are divided from each other by a doubling 
of the pleura and a space called the mediastinum, which is occupied 
by the heart, great blood-vessels, nerves, and glands. The right 
lobe is noticeably the larger ; the heart being placed more towards 
the left, makes that lung smaller. By this arrangement the lungs 
are better adapted to the form of the chest, and enabled more per- 
fectly to fill it. In consequence of their extremely cellular or porous 
structure, they are capable of great expansion and contraction during 
the operation of breathing. 

The substance of which the lungs are mainly composed is the pul- 
monary tissue, tev\WQd.ih.Q parenchyma. This, in the healthful sub- 
ject, has a beautiful pale-rose color. It is very delicate, yet resists 
external violence with suflicient strength as not to be easily broken. 
When minutely examined, it is found to be composed of a countless 
number of very small, irregularly-shaped compartments, called lobules, 
each entirely distinct, and all without any communication one with 
another. What is known as broken wind is occasioned by the rup- 
ture of the walls of some of these little compartments. Each lobule 
receives one of the terminating branches of a bronchial tube, and is 
again broken up into a cluster of air-cells, resembling a bunch of 
grapes, on the walls of which the capillary branches of the pul- 
monary arteries and veins are spread out. The innumerable air- 
cells are lined with a thin, attenuated membrane, through which 
the blood, in passing through the lungs, appropriates the oxygen, 
the life-giving principle of the air, and gives off the poisonous car- 
bonic acid o-as which the venous circulation has brought back from 
all parts of the system. Carbonic acid gas is highly destructive to 
animal life, and is that element which chiefly makes the exhaled 
breath so peculiarly offensive. 
12 



178_ THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

VIII. Other Respiratory Organs. 
Nostrils. — The nasal cavities subserve the purposes of respiration, 
by modifying the condition of the impure air, so as that it may be 
taken into the delicate air-cells of the lungs without injury. They 
warm the air, if it is too cold; they moisten it, if it is too dry. In 
the horse, the nostrils are remarkable as furnishing the sole means of 
admitting air to the lungs, such being the formation of his soft palate 
that breathing through the mouth is impossible; yet he is enabled, 
by considerable effort, to expel the air through the mouth in the op- 
eration of coughing. The nostrils are lined with what anatomists 
term the Schneiderian membrane, whose appearance, and especially 
its color, is an invaluable test for detecting the presence, and tracing 
the course, of fever in the system. 

From the nostrils the air passes first into the larynx, or throat; 
thence into the trachea, or wind-pipe ; and, finally, through the bron- 
chial tubes into the lungs. 

Larynx, — Besides its services in respiration, the larynx (see 4 and 5, 
in cut on page 1G8) forms the vocal sounds uttered by different animals, 
as well as those produced by the human voice. In the horse, however, 
these vocal sounds are few, so that this function is not an important 
one. The larynx is situated immediately behind and below the nasal 
cavities. It consists of five strong cartilages, united together by lig- 
aments. One of these cartilages is that remarkable little valve-like 
appendage called the epiglottis (see 2, in cut). This somewhat re- 
sembles a heart in shape, and is so attached that, Avhen the animal 
swallows, it shuts downward and backward, so as to entirely close the 
opening to the larynx. Thus the food and water, in their passage to the 
stomach, are prevented from entering the lungs, but go onward into 
the oesophagus, or gullet (see 10, in cut), after which the elastic 
muscles of the epiglottis in an instant throw it back to its original 
position, and the wind-pipe is open again.. 

Wind-pipe. — Next below the larynx conies the trachea, or wind-pipe 
(see 6, in cut), which is a flexible tube, made up of about fifty in- 
complete, cartilaginous rings, connected together hy a strong, elastic 
membrane. It terminates in the bronchi, or two bronchial tubes, of 
which the right is the more capacious, corresponding with the differ- 
ence in size of this lobe of the lungs. These tubes again divide and 
subdivide, like the branches of a tree, into lesser tubes, still called 
bronchial, which finally open into the air-cells of the lungs. As they 



OUTLINE OF THE HOESe's STRUCTURE. 179 

thus continue to divide, they diminisli in size, of course, until at last 
their diameter is only the one twenty-fifth part of an inch. 

We now pass to consider the numerous and highly important or- 
gans concerned in digestion. 

IX. Gland, Secretion and. Excretion Defined. 

"A gland may be defined to be an organ whose oflice it is to sep- 
arate from the blood some peculiar substance, which is poured out 
through an excretor}^ duct, whose internal surface is continuous with 
the mucous membrane or skin. 

"By secretion is understood the process of separation of various 
matters from the blood, the term being also applied to the products 
of the process, such as saliva, bile, etc., which are commonly known 
as secretions. These are all removed from the blood for one of two 
purposes; first, in order to be emploj^ed for some ulterior object in 
the various processes going on in the body, either for its own preser- 
vation or that of others ; or, secondly, as being injurious to its wel- 
fare, and, therefore, to be discarded." 

It has been customary to distinguish this function according as it 
has for its object one or the other of the purposes above indicated. 
By this distinction, the term secretion is limited to the former action, 
while the latter receives the name excretion. These are the senses in 
which the terms are used in this work. 

X. Glands of the Mouth and Throat. 

The throat is a part of the horse's frame that is plentifully sup- 
plied wdth glands. It has three sets of these, throwing out their se- 
cretions of saliva to form the spittle of the mouth. In the horse, 
although there is comparatively less of this discharge than in the 
human being, its quantity is surprisingly great, not less than four or 
five gallons in every twenty-four hours. The principal use of the 
saliva is to moisten the food during the process of mastication. 

The most important of the salivary glands is the parotid. This is 
placed in the hollow that extends from the root of the ear to the angle 
of the lower jaw-bone. It is composed of numerous small glands, 
uniting in one common duct, that discharges its contents into the 
mouth opposite the third upper molar tooth. The quantity of fluid 
secreted by the parotid gland alone is estimated to be not less than 
one pint per hour, and, during mastication, nearly twice as much. 
It is generally affected in all throat diseases, and in distemper is 
nearly always found swollen, hot, and tender. 



180 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Occupying the space between the two bones of the under-jaw, is 
found the set of subniaxiHaiy glands, which also empty through one 
common channel into the mouth, at the roots of the tongue, and a 
short distance from the front teeth. In severe colds, the submaxil- 
lary gland often enlarges, the little kernels of which it is made up 
swelling so as to be distinctly felt when pressed upon by the hand. 

The sublingual gland is the smallest of the three. It is situated 
between the middle of the tongue and the lower jaw, and opens into 
the same part of the mouth as the submaxillar}^, by a number of mi- 
nute orifices under the tongue, whose terminations resemble little folds 
of skin, or tiny bladders. These sometimes become inflamed, and 
then have the appearance of little sores, or ulcers. This is soon cor- 
rected by the efforts of Nature alone, in nearly all cases; but, if it 
should be thought best to attempt any treatment, the horse's mouth 
may be washed with the solution of golden seal, or chlorate of potash. 

Besides these glands there are smaller ones in every part of the 
mouth, the cheeks, the tongue, the lips, and several other portions of 
the throat. They all pour out secretions, which enter into the com- 
position of the saliva. 

XI. The Gullet and Digestive Apparatus. 

Although concerned in digestion simply as the passage from the 
mouth to the stomach, the oesophagus, or gullet, will be appropriately 
considered in connection with the digestive apparatus. It is a funnel- 
like tube, or bag, of muscular structure, and is lined with mucous 
membrane, the same in general character as that which is spread over 
the inside of the mouth and nose. It extends from the pharynx — 
which is simply a continuation of the extreme back part of the mouth 
— to the stomach, in its course traversing the whole length of the 
chest, and passing through an opening in the diaphragm, or midriff. 
It is, at first, placed behind the huynx, and with reference to the 
trachea is situated to the left. 

The digestive organs of the horse are so important, as regards both 
their aggregate size and their functions, and are so extremely liable 
to sudden and severe attacks of disease, that every farmer and horse- 
man should be at especial pains to get a correct notion of their struc- 
ture, and the offices which they severally perform. The reader of this 
work will derive material assistance in fixing its descriptions in his 
mind by carefully studying our illustrations. To aid him in this we 
shall frequently refer him thereto. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTUEE. 



181 



The stomach of the horse is very small, when compared with the 
great bulk of his entire body, or with the relative size of the same or- 
gan in man. Its average capacity is about three gallons; while the 
stomach of man, whose weight is hardly one-eighth of that of the 
horse, contains frequently three quarts. As the vegetable diet, how- 
ever, upon which the horse subsists, yields a smaller proportion of 
nutritive matter than animal food, and that proportion with greater 
difficulty, it is necessary that the animal should be provided with a 
digestive apparatus of greater extent and perfect efficiency. What 
seems to be wanting in the stomach of the horse, we accordingly find 
made up in the formation of the intestines, which are long, large, 
and complicated. We will consider them presently. 




THE horse's stomach, AS IT APPEARS UPON DISSECTION. 

a — The oesophagus, or gullet, extending to the stomach. 
6— The entrance of the gullet into the stomach. The circular layers of the 
muscles are very thick and strong, and, hy their contractions, help 
to render it difficult for the food to be returned or vomited, 
c c — The portion of the stomach which is covered by cuticle, or insensible skin. 
d d — The margin, which separates the cuticular from the villous portion. 
e e — The mucous or villous (velvet) i^ortion of the stomach, in which the 
food is principally digested. 
/—The communication between the stomach and the first intestine. 
g'— The common oritice through whicli the bile and the secretion from the 
pancreas pass into the tirst intestine. The two pins mark the two tubes 
here united. 
h — A smaller orifice, through which a portion of the secretion of the pan- 
creas enters the intestines. 



182 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

XII. The Stomach. 

Two openings and two lining coats form the features one would be 
most likely to notice first in examining the stomach. The upper 
opening is the connection with the oesophagus. It is called the 
cardiac orifice, and in the cut of the stomach is shown at h. The 
oesophagus enters the stomach in a somewhat curved direction. It 
runs obliquely through the muscular and cuticular coats for some dis- 
tance, and then its fibers arrange themselves around the opening into 
the stomach. Close observation has shown that they arrange them- 
selves into segments of circles, interlacing each other, and, by their 
contraction, plainly and forcibly closing the opening, so that regurgi- 
tation of the food (vomiting) is almost impossible. 

The other opening Js that Avhich communicates with the intestines. 
It is called the pylorus (literall}^, door-keepers), or pyloric orifice. 
In the cut it is imperfectly represented at/". At the lower, or pyloric 
orifice, the muscles are also increased in number and in size. These 
are arranged in the same manner as around the cardiac orifice, and 
are continuous with those of the intestines, with sufficient power to 
retain the contents of the stomach until they have undergone the 
digestive process. 

Similar names have been given the two parts — the cardiac and 
pyloric. The division of the stomach into these two parts is not 
uniformly marked in different horses, but is generally indicated, 
more or less plainly, by a constriction. It is shown in the cut by 
d d, the jagged and heavil}^ shaded line between c c and e e. The 
cardiac part is simply a space for the food, while the pyloric is the 
real digestive stomach. 

The Stomach's Three Coatings. — The stomach is composed of 
three coatings. The outer coat is a serous membrane, and simply a 
continuation of the peritoneum, which lines the entire abdominal 
cavity. Next to this is the muscular, or middle coating, consisting 
of three sets of fibers crossing each other transversely and obli(]uely, 
which give to it a considerable power of contraction and expansion. 
By this means a gentle vibratory motion is imparted to the stomach, 
and all its contents are properly mingled together and carried for- 
Avard. The internal coating is not the same in the two parts of the 
stomach. In the cardiac sac it is commoidy called the ciiticidar 
(skin-like), or insejisihfe coating (see c c, in cut) ; in the pyloric, the 
mucous or villous (velvet) coating (see e e). 



OUTLINE OF THE HOESE's STRUCTURE. 183 

The cuticular lining is a continuation of that of the oesophagus. It 
is whitish brown in color, tough, and comparatively dry. It covers 
only about one-third of the internal area of the stomach — in the upper 
part, of course, next the gullet. In structure it is web-like, with a 
somewhat loose attachment to the muscular membrane, from which it 
may be easily separated after death. When washed and cleaned, it 
has the appearance of gauze, or line net-work. The villous coating 
of the stomach is of a brownish red, marbled with lighter tints of the 
same color, and possesses a delicate texture, so as to be easily torn ; 
yet it has an exceedingly limited degree of sensibility, since, were it 
otherwise, many common articles of the horse's food could not be 
digested without great pain. 

Gastric Fluid and Cliyme. — Numerous little capillary tubes have 
their outlet upon the villous membrane, and pour out a peculiar secre- 
tion, which continues the softening process already begun in the 
mouth by the saliva. This is the gai^tric fluid. It acts not only as a 
solvent, but also contributes other materials — especially what is called 
-pepsin — that greath^ facilitate digestion. By these agencies the food 
is converted into the substance called chyme, which passes out through 
the pylorus into the intestines, there to be still further digested, its 
nutritive particles taken up and transferred to the general circulation, 
and its waste matter duly voided. 

XIII. The Intestines. 

The intestines, to which we have now come in the natural progress 
of our descriptions, constitute a hollow tube, with many windings and 
convolutions, nearl}^ ninety feet long in an average-sized horse. In 
diameter the tube varies exceedingly at different parts. The intes- 
tines have three coatings — the same, indeed, as the stomach, with 
only this difference, that they nowhere exhibit the cuticular lining. 
These membranes, however, are not precisely identical in their several 
arrano-ements and uses throughout their entire length. 

The muscular coating of the intestines is composed of two sets of 
fibers, crossing each other at right angles, and each running the full 
length of the bowels. In certain intestinal diseases of the horse it 
is subject to fearful contractions, producing what are called strictures. 
In the mucous or internal membrane are seated myriads of little cap- 
illary vessels, which have their mouths in little papilla?, upon its sur- 
face, and are constantly taking up the nutritive extracts of the di- 
gested food and conveying them into the blood. The point of the 



184 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



finest needle could not be put down anywhere upon the mucous sur- 
face on which these vessels are distributed without resting upon one 
or more of these little mouths. From the effects of severe ill-usage, 
as well as of certain diseases, these absorbents sometimes cease to act. 
Should they remain inactive, the horse, with his supply of nutrition 
thus cut off, is soon reduced to a famishing condition. 

Only two natural divisions are found in the alimentary canal. These 
are the large and small intestines. Anatomists, however, have di- 
vided each of these parts into three sections. This subdivision is par- 
ticularly arbitrary in regard to the small intestines, between whose 
three sections it is impossible to discover any defined boundary lines. 
Hence in the cut of these organs we have not attempted to index the 




THE INTESTINES OP THE HORSE. 



a — The commencement of the small intestines. The biliary and pancreatic 

ducts may be seen a little below. 
b b — The convolutions or Avindiugs of the small intestines, 
c — A portion of the mesentery, a fold of serous membrane, which hangs over 

the greater part of the intestines, and is thickly inlaid with fat, designed 

to protect the included organs from cold aud violence, and to facilitate 

their movements. 
d — The small intestines, terminating in the C!>?cum. 
e — The coecum, or blind gut, with the bauds running along it, puckering and 

dividing it into numerous sections. 
/ — The beginning of the colon. 
(J f/— The continuation and expansion of the colon, divided, like the CKCum, into 

sections. 
h — The termination of the colon in the rectum. 
i — The termination of the rectum at the anus. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE's STRUCTUEE. 185 

different portions of the small bowels. Their continuous series of 
convolutions, however, are represented very naturally at 6 5. 

Small Intestines. — The small intestines occup}^ rather more than 
two-thirds of the whole length of the alimentary duct, being between 
sixty and seventy feet in length. From their comparatively small di- 
ameter, however, thej^ will contain only a little more than one-half as 
much as the large bowels. When fully expanded, they will hold 
about eleven gallons ; the others about nineteen. Adding to these 
amounts the three gallons which represent the measure of the stom- 
ach, and we find that the entire capacity of the digestive tube is the 
enormous aggregate of thirty-three gallons. 

The three sections into which anatomists divide the small intestines 
have received the names of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Duode- 
num is a Latin word, signifying twelve. It is thus applied, because 
this part of the bowels in man is about twelve inches long. In the 
horse, however, its length is about twenty-two inches. It extends 
from, the pyloric orifice of the stomach to the entrance of the biliary 
and pancreatic ducts. (See a, in cut.) The jejunum — from the 
word jejune, meaning empty — is so called because it is nearly always 
found quite empty after the animal's death. This is in consequence 
of the great rapidity with which the food passes through it. It is of 
smaller diameter than the duodenum, and floats more loosely in the 
abdomen. Last of the small intestines comes the ileum, whose walls 
are more muscular and thicker than those of the jejunum. 

Large Intestines. — The ileum terminates in the coecvm, or blind 
gut, the first of the large intestines. Its entrance is not into the end 
of this, as would naturally be expected, but near the head, or outlet, 
as shown in the cut, where the caecum appears prominently at e. It 
follows, from this arrangement, that the food which passes into this 
blind pouch must twice traverse its whole length, on its return from 
the closed end of the pouch passing directly by the mouth of the 
ileum, where it is prevented from re-entering by a peculiar valve. In 
the caBcum, as is supposed, the larger proportion of the process of 
aTDSorbing the nutritive elements of chyle is conducted. Nearly all 
the water which the horse swallows passes at once into this gut, with- 
out any delay in the stomach and small intestines. 

The csecum is connected with the next intestine, the colon (see/* 
g g, in cut), by a considerably larger neck than with the small intes- 
tine. The colon is very large, and occupies two-fifths of the abdom- 



18G THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

inal cavity. It is generally found filled with the alimentary sub- 
stances. Its contents are made up of the coarser parts of the food, 
and become hard and solid. Being deprived of nearly all its moisture 
and nutrition, the food reaches the tapering portion of the colon, 
which is divided into sections, or compartments, by a number of cir- 
cular bands surrounding and puckering it. By these the faeces is 
separated into balls, upon which they contract, their absorbents ex- 
tracting the last remaining nutrition, when, by a further contraction, 
each ball is forced onward to the rectum, whence it is discharged. 

Terminating in the anus (see ^, in cut), is the next and last intes- 
tine, the rectum (see Ji, in cut). Its name signifies straight, which it 
much more nearly is than the other bowels. It is much shorter than 
the colon, with less than one-fourth the capacity. As no portion of 
digestion remains to be carried on here, its mucous lining is not 
exactly the same as in the other parts of the intestines, and is en- 
tirely destitute of capillary absorbents. The rectum forms a capa- 
cious reservoir for the excrement until evacuated. This is retained in 
its place by the curious circular muscle at the anus, called the sphinc- 
ter muscle, until the horse, by a voluntary effort, expels it. By these 
means is prevented a constant and disagreeable dropping of theffeces. 

The Mesentery. — A doubling of the peritoneum, called the mesen- 
tery (see c, in cut), forms the means by which the intestines are 
chiefly retained in their relative positions. It includes Avithin its 
folds all the intestines, extending along their entire length. It is 
furnished with a large artery and a large vein — each called the mesen- 
teric — and is everywhere filled with innumerable small vessels, that 
supply the bowels with blood, and others which convey the extracted 
nutriment from the intestines to the general circulation. 

The Caul. — The omenimn, or caul (not shown in cut), is a twice 
doubled fokl of the peritoneum, thus consisting of four layers of it, 
which are placed between the intestines and the sides of the belly. 
By some it has been supposed to answer the purpose of a soft pad- 
ding, to relieve the violent concussions and prevent llie injuries which 
rapid nu)tion would be likely to [u-oduce. It is unusually short in 

the horse. 

XIV. The Liver. 

In the" horse the liver undou])tedl_y performs the same ofiices as in 
the hunum being; l)ut these are involved in much obscurity. It 
secretes the bile from the venous blood (supplied to it by the portal 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE 's STRUCTURE. 187 

circulation), wliicli, if retained therein, would poison the whole sys- 
tem ; but which, when mingled with the chyme, is of the highest serv- 
ice in the operations of digestion. It is by far the largest gland in 
the whole body. 

The liver is situated in close contact with the back of the di- 
aphragm, and is divided into three lobes, with a color peculiar to 
itself. Its structure is also most peculiar. The bile is said to be se- 
creted from little capsules which are innumerable, and act in the same 
way as a filter. In most animals the bile is stored away in a reser- 
voir, called the gall-bladder, to be used as occasion may require ; but 
the horse has no gall-bladder, so that the bile, as fast as it is formed, 
flows directly into the small intestines. These it enters through 
the hepatic or biliary duct, a few inches below the pyloric orifice. 
(See a, in cut of the intestines.) It is of the greatest importance 
in the work of digestion, as, by the aid of certain peculiar proper- 
ties which it possesses, it keeps the bowels regular in their action. 
The whole system suffers if its secretion and flow are interrupted or 
retarded. Should they cease altogether, not only would the blood 
be poisoned by its retention, but the animal would presently starve 
for want of nourishment. 

This organ is much less subject to disease in the horse than in the 
other domestic animals, or in man. It is occasionall}^ the seat of in- 
flammation and some other affections, whose symptoms, however, are 
always obscure. Sometimes, where its functions are deranged, a 
condition is produced much resembling that of jaundice in the human 
being. This may be detected, without difliculty, by the j^ellow, pale 
color of the membrane lining the nose, and of the lips, the mouth, 
the tongue, and especially by the jaundiced appearance of the eyes. 
XV. The Pancreas, or Sweet-bread. 

The pancreas is a gland placed between the stomach and the left 
kidney, being what is commonly called the sweet-bread. It secretes 
the pancreatic fluid which flows through its own duct into the small 
intestines through a valvular opening common to the hepatic and 
pancreatic ducts. (See g, in cut of the stomach.) In its uses, the 
pancreatic fluid is of very great importance to digestion, changing 
fats to a more easily digested form ; it also has important actions on 
meaty substances, and changes into sugar any starches which the sa- 
liva has failed to change. This fluid contains a large proportion of 
albumen and some alkalies. 



188 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

XVI. The Spleen, or Milt. 

This organ has no excretory duct, and hence is called a ductless 
o-land. It lies alons; the left side of the stomach, to which it adheres 
very closely. It is long; at one end broad and thick, and at the 
other tapering almost to a point. In color it is of a bluish-brown. 
It has a spongy consistency, being composed of numerous cells, over 
which are spread thousands of minute vessels. Physiologists were 
lonof unable to positivelv demonstrate the uses of this oroan. It was 
believed, however, "to perform the office of a reservoir for the blood 
required by the stomach, with which it is closely connected by a set 
of vessels, and also to effect some change in the blood itself." But 
it is now admitted to be the place where the white corpuscles of the 
blood are made ; the red corpuscles, it is thought, are here tested, 
and, if weak, are destro3^ed. 

XVII. The Urinary Organs. 

These embrace the kidnej^s and the bladder, with the different 
ducts and passages that are connected with them. They are well 
shown in the next two engravings, those of the generative organs. 

Kidneys. — The kidnej's secrete the urine. The}^ are two glandular 
organs, whose function it is to rid the system of the element called 
urea, which is that principal constituent of the urine that, if not ex- 
creted, would act as a deadly poison in the blood. In the horse they 
are of immense size, and are situated under the loins, the right kid- 
ney lying under the liver, and somewhat forward of the left, which 
is placed back of the stomach. Each of them is supplied with a 
large artery, which furnishes blood not only to the kidneys them- 
selves, but likewise to all the urinary organs. Like all other glands, 
the kidneys abound in minute capillar}^ vessels, where the functions 
of excretion are carried on. This, like the excretion of the bile from 
the liver, is also a sort of filtering action; the blood-drop passing 
through a little sack leaves the urine in a separate tube, whence it 
gradually passes to the bladder. The amount as well as the quality 
of the urine which they secrete varies greatly, at different times, in 
all animals, but in the horse more, perhaps, than in any other. As 
fast as it is collected in the kidneys, the urine passes down to the 
bladder through the long excretory ducts called the ureters, of which 
there is one for each kidney. 



OUTLINE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



189 



Bladder and Urethra. — The bladder is the oval, membranous bag, 
which serves as a reservoir for the urine. Here it accumulates, until 
its quantity begins to occasion inconvenience, when the animal, by a 
voluntary effort, expels it. Thus the great annoyance of a constant 
dribbhng is prevented. The bladder has three coatings. The outer 
one is an extension of the peritoneum, but covering only a part of 
the bladder. Next to this, and upon the outside of the bladder for a 
great part of the latter' s surface, is the muscular coating, composed 
of two sets of muscles, crossing each other transversely, as in the in- 
testines. The internal coatinsr is the mucous membrane, which lines 




MALE GENERATIVE ORGANS (THE ABDOMEN AND PELVIS OPENED ON THE LEFT SIDE). 

a — Testicle and its coverings, 
c — Left vas deferens. 
d — Left vesicnla seminalis. 
e — Prostate gland. 
g — Sheath. 
h m — Penis, with cavernous tissue. 
h — Urethra, the canal for the urine. 
n — Opening of the urethra. 
r — Bladder. 
s — Kectum. 



190 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

all the hollow viscera. The urethra has its origin at the neck of the 
bladder. It is the canal Avhich carries off the urine. Its orifice can 
be entirely closed, at the horse's pleasure, by the contraction of the 
powerful muscle which surrounds the neck of the bladder, and Avhich 
is called the sphincter of the bladder. 

We will now give a short description of the organs of generation 
in the horse and mare, together with two illustrations, designed to 
make this very important portion of the anatomy as plain and con- 
cise as possible. 

XVIII. Male Generative Organs. 

The essential organs of the male, the two testicles or seeds, in the 
foetus are found in the belly behind the kidneys, whence before birth 
they descend into the scrotum or bag, carrying with them the different 
membranes already spoken of as lining the abdominal cavity and cov- 
erinof the bowels. These coverinos contain the vessels and nerves, 
and help to support the testicles. The latter are two glands divided 
into a great many little compartments, each having a duct to carry 
away the spermatozoa. These ducts join together to form the epi- 
didymis or duct from the gland, which may be seen as a ridge on the 
upper part of the testicle. This duct carries the sperm to a reservoir 
on the back part of the bladder, where it remains until nature calls 
for it. 

The penis, the organ of copulation, is perforated by the canal for 
the sperm. This canal also serves for the passage of the water, but 
separates into two above the bladder. The penis is composed of a 
peculiar erectile tissue, which is something like a sponge in its capa- 
bility of being greatly dilated, and contains elastic tissue in its walls. 
During excitement the blood flows into this spongy tissue, which 
causes enlargement and rigidity, or, in other words, the condition of 
erection. After excitement has subsided, the blood is removed 
hy the veins. The penis is suspended from the bones below the 
anal opening, and is supported by the sheath. 

The spermatozoa are the secretion of the male glands, mixed with 
a whitish, viscous fluid. They are so small as to be visible only under 
the microscope. They have an oval head and long, wavy tail, and 
possess the power of moving to a certain extent; when in contact 
with the female ovum, or egg, they pierce and fertilize it. 
XIX. Generative Organs of the Mare. 

The female organs are the ovaries, or the essential organs, the 
uterus, or womb, in which the foetus lies; the vagina, a cavity com- 



OUTLIKE OF THE HORSE S STRUCTURE. 



191 



mon to the urinary and generative organs ; and, lastly, the vulva, or 
lips, externally. The ovaries have a function analogous to the tes- 
ticles in the jnale, but are of smaller size, and suspended b}^ ligaments 
in the abdominal cavity, a little behind the kidnej'^s.. It is in the 
ovary that the ovum, or female egg, is formed, passing thence to the 
uterus, mixed with a secretion which lubricates the way. This egg 
is a verj^ minute thing, only measuring 1-150 of an inch across. In 
structure it somewhat resembles the yolk of a hen's egg. Pierced by 




GENERATIVE ORGANS OF THE BIARE (OPENED ON THE RIGHT SIDE). 

a b — Right and left kidaey. 

c — Ureters .to bladder. 

ci — ThcHireter entering the bladder. 

d — ^Bladder. 

/ — Lips of the vulva. 

g — Vagina. 

h — Body of uterus. 

^• — Fallopian tubes. 
I m — Right and left ovaries. 

the male sperm, it commences to grow, receiving its nourishment from 
the part in which it settles, normally the uterus. 

The uterus, or womb, is a muscidar organ lined by a mucous mem- 
brane, and placed between the rectum above and the bladder and in- 
testines below. It is made up of two horns Avith the ovaries on the 
end, a body in which the foetus grows, and a neck of thick, round 
and hard tissue closing and separating this part from the next, into 
which it projects in the virgin animal. The vagina, Avhich is the 



192 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

chief organ in contact with the stud, is of muscle and membrane in- 
ternally. The opening of the bladder is on the floor of this space 
about three inches in from the external lips. The vulva, or lips, com- 
plete externally the organs of the urinary and generative systems. 
It is constituted of muscle, lined internally by membrane, while ex- 
ternally is a soft covering of skin. In young animals there is usually 
some fat here, making the lips more prominent than during old age. 
The space between the upper border of the lip and the anal opening 
is the perineum. In "gill-flirted" mares this space is ruptured. The 
hymen is a thin band of membrane found in the virgin animal just 
back of the urinary opening. The clitoris which can be seen just 
within the lips on the floor of the vagnia, is of spongy tissue similar 
to the male penis, and undergoes erection when sexually excited. 

Mammary Glands. — Closely allied to the generative organs, though 
distinct from them, are the mammary glands, whose ofiiceis to secrete 
milk for the nourishment of the young. In the mare there are two 
of these, placed side by side between the thighs. Their structure is 
like that of glands in general, being composed of innumerable cells 
capable of secreting the milky fluid, which is thence carried by canals 
to a large central space in the gland or teat, vv^here it may be retained 
for a moderate length of time without inconvenience. Passing by a 
number of small canals to the free extremity of the teat (the nipple), 
it is there freed. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
THE PROCESS AND ES'FECTS OP INFLAMMATION. 



I. CONCERNING INFLAMMATION IN GENERAL. II. CAUSES OF INFLAMMATION. 

III. THE SYMPTOMS OF INFLABIMATION. IV. TERMINATION BY RES- 
OLUTION. V. EFFUSION AND SUPPURATION. VI. ABSCESSES. VII. 

ULCERATION. VIII. INTERSTITIAL DEPOSITS. IX. MORTIFICATION OR 

GANGRENE. X. TREATMENT OF LOCAL INFLAMMATION. XI. BLISTERS. 

XII. TREATMENT OF GENERAL INFLAMMATION. XIII. BLEEDING. 

I. Concerning Inflammation in General. 
In entering upon this subject, it should be remembered that the 
majority of diseases are, more or less, of an inflammatory nati*re; 
whence it follows that a correct knowledge of the inflammatory 
process is essential to the proper study of disease in general. Every 
structure of the body which is supplied with blood-vessels and nerves 
is subject to inflammatory disease, and whether it be in the bones, 
muscles, tendons, lungs, nerves, or whatever other important organ, 
the inflammatory process in all answers to the same general descrip- 
tion, and in each the sequence is precisely similar. 

Kinds Defined — Inflammation, as regards its location^ is of two 
kinds, namely : 1st, local, and 2d, general or diffuse. In the first 
we recognize the action as being confined to the vessels at one par- 
ticular part, and that a small one, of the animal's body; the second is 
understood to comprise acute febrile action, the result of inflamma- 
tion in large and important organs, as the lungs, bowels, womb, etc., 
and including, of course, the diseased process within those organs. 
As to character, inflammation is regarded under the other two head^ 
of acute and chronic. In the former the tendency is to progress with 
great activity or vigor; the nature of the soft parts of the body, as 
muscle, etc., from their elaborate organization, being highly favor- 
able to the process. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is 
slow and tardy, eventuating in much destruction of tissue, .while at 
the same time reparation of the parts is attended with diflScuIty, or 
sometimes totally impossible. 

13 193 



194 THE AMEEICAN FARMER' S HORSE BOOK. 

n. Causes of Inflammation. 

As inflammation involves so many different organs and parts of the 
body, and in many oases parts that are very remote from each other, 
it is to be expected that a great variety of different causes may be 
concerned in its origin. For the sake of clearness, it will be con- 
venient to distinguish three classes of causes: 1st, mechanical ; 2d, 
chemical, and 3d, vital. Under the first named are included blows, 
friction, pressure, cuts, tears, bruises, etc., all of which destroy or 
disturb the nervous power of the part, and by its withdrawal living 
tissues become as dead animal matter, the blood in these cases often 
circulating in the part no longer. The next class, chemical agents, — 
strong acids, caustics generally, the hot iron, etc. — likewise destro}^ 
the part, and the same results are brought about. Again, under the 
more complex causes termed vital, we must recognize the same ef- 
fects, namely, a withdrawal of the controlling and harmonizing ner- 
vous power, with more or less disorder of other organs or functions. 
Long continued cold depresses and destroys the tone of nervous 
power; poisons generally do the same; and the lack of pure air for 
respiration brings about a long train of diseased conditions. 

Life may be viewed as a collection of harmonious functions work- 
ing with and for each other. Every agency which destroys or tem- 
porarily interferes with that harmony, at the same time calls forth a 
warning proportionate to the extent and power of its own baneful in- 
fluence. The most common result is local inflammation, which may, 
perhaps, be slight, or, on the other hand, so extensive that the whole 
of the vital functions become fatally impaired, and life is finally ex- 
tinguished. In both cases — the mild and the severe — there is estab- 
lished a diseased process which is essentially the same, differing only 
in the extent and operation of the disturbance. 

III. The Symptoms of Inflammation. 

The physical signs of inflammation are four: heat, pain, redness, 
and swelling. The redness is generally less easily seen in animals 
than in man, on account of the thick coverins; of hair, thouuh even if 
this were removed the dark pigment of the skin would still suffice to 
conceal it in most animals. 

Heat. — Of the various signs indicating the presence of inflamma- 
tion, probably none is so remarkable as heat, that is, the increased 
animal temperature. Whether the morbid action is confined to a 



.THE PROCESS AND EFFECTS OF INFLAMMATION. 195 

small space or has become general (as in most cases it does become), 
an elevation of temperature in the affected part is the inevitable 
result. The source of increased heat in these cases is exactly the 
same as under healthful conditions of the system, the process being 
accelerated, generall}'^, by wide spread influence on the assimilative 
functions, through the nervous system, and locally by the same pro- 
cess upon the circulation of the part affected. Then comes about 
increased blood formation, increased quantity of blood in the part, 
and as a result increased combustion, or production of animal heat. 
During the existence of inflammatory action, of whatever kind or 
character, the thermometer proves a safe guide as to the intensity, 




VEINS OF THE NECK AND FACE. 
To illustrate Bleeding (page 202). The jugular vein is shown at a. 

rise or decline, which is demonstrated by placing it on the part, if 
externally situated, or within the rectum when general. If no ther- 
mometer is obtainable, the sensation of heat, as conveyed to the hand, 
will give a fair idea of the temperature, the hand being placed upon 
the part, or, in case of general inflammation, by feeling the ears, legs 
and mouth. 

Pain. — This symptom is the result of pressure, consequent upon the 
increased quantity of blood in the part. The blood-vessels are dis- 
tended, and the nerves, already acutely sensitive through influences 
of a morbid character, perform their ofiice under greater pressure and 
irritation. The sensation of an inflamed part is doubly acute, as is 



196 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

evident upon the slighest touch in some animals, and so it continues 
to the end of the morbid process. Coarse-bred animals exhibit this 
in a less degree than high-strung, nervous ones. 

Redness. — For the reasons already mentioned, this is less con- 
spicuous in the horse, as in nearly all animals, than in man. Never- 
theless, in the case of general inflammation, the visible mucous mem- 
branes exhibit this characteristic to the fullest extent, revealing with a 
good degree of accuracy what is going on within. The redness here 
spoken of is the redness which the blood exhibits when vieu^ed in 
man. During the distension of blood-vessels from inflammation, the 
increased quantity of the vital fluid coursing through them is plainly 
visible through the walls, which have now become attenuated (thin) 
through internal pressure and stretching. The redness characteristic 
of inflammation is due, then, to the color of the blood as seen through 
the semi-transparent membranes constituting the affected tissues. 

Swelling. — This is not always observed. When internal organs are 
affected, it is impossible that it should be, except under rare condi- 
tions ; and even when it exists to a considerable degree locally, it may 
be altogether hidden by the nature of the part affected, or by the 
covering it possesses. Thus, when a ligament, tendon or bone, is 
involved, swelling is often not observed at the time. So also, though 
the feet are suffering intenseh^ from inflammation, the encasing hoofs 
effectually bind down and hide everything from view. Whenever it 
can be detected, swelling is a sign unmistakable, furnishing evidence 
of a reliable character. The swelling of inflammation is due to a con- 
gestion of the blood in the diseased part. Some of the fluid portions 
of the blood, leaving the vessels, percolate through the tissues, and 
the blood still pressing from behind produces the swelling. 
IV. Termination by Resolution. 
The results of continued severe inflammation are effusion, suppura- 
tion, ulceration, interstitial deposits, and mortification or gangrene. 
But first we will consider its natural or healthful termination by what 
is termed resolution. This is said to occur when the symptoms sub- 
side, and the parts resume their normal functions, which may occur 
suddenly or gradually, though occasionally the trouble re-appears in 
another part. Resolution is effected in two different ways. The 
first is by the removal of the irritant that caused the inflammation, 
and while the part is still soft, the veins and lymphatics canying off 
the exudation. The second occairs when the process has gone a step 



THE PROCESS AND EFFECTS OF INFLAMMATION. 197 

further, and the exudation turned to a low form of fibrous tissue, 
which ultimately breaks down, and is removed in the same manner as 
in the first. 

V. Effusion and Suppuration. 

That result of inflammatory action known to medical science as 
effusion is seen as an accumulation of fluid in different parts of the 
body — for example, water in the chest, dropsy of the abdomen, etc. 
Suppuration is a common result of the conditions we have been consid- 
ering, when the irritation is more intense than in the lighter forms, its 
action at the same time being generally prolonged. It is a frequent 
termination also of the other forms. Suppuration ma}^ be either 
acute or chronic, and in either case appear either as a circumscribed 
abscess, or in a more diffused form in the substance of a part, or on 
a free surface. It is Nature's own "heroic" way of getting rid of 
some deleterious substance or matter that its ordinary processes are 
unable to cope with. 

Grooved Director. — The simple instrument so called is shown in 
the annexed cut. Its use is to insert in a sinus, as of an abscess, 




GROOVED DIRECTOR. 



fistula, etc., and guide the point of the knife in cutting open. This 
it does by means of the groove in the center (indicated by the dark 
line) running its entire length. 

VI. Abscesses. 

A circumscribed collection of pus in any part of the body is termed 
an abscess. This is tlie product of an inflammatory process, due to 
the presence of a minute organism, called a "cocci." Abscesses are 
of two kinds, namely, acute, and chronic or "cold." 

Acute Abscess. — This is the more common kind. It is invariabl}^ 
preceded by constitutional signs of inflammatory fever (generally 
including in man a distinctl}^ marked "rigor" or chill), and is accom- 
panied by the usual local phenomena of heat, pain, swelling, etc. As 
it continues to develop, these local sj^mptoms increase. The swelling- 
shows a tendency to localize ; a soft, and possibly a tender, spot shows 
itself, the covering of the skin becoming thin and weak at the most 
susceptible part. The abscess is now coming to a '''point,'" and pres- 



198 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



ently, through the gradual thinning of its covering, it discharges or 
"bursts." After the pus is gotten rid of, the cavity either heals or 
contracts into a narrow canal, called, in technical language, a fistula. 
When the pus is deep-seated and bound down by strong ligaments, tis- 
sues, etc., it may "burrow" a great distance from the original seat 
of the disease, usually, of course, in the direction where it encounters 
the least resistance. 

Chronic or Cold Abscess. — Cold abscesses form very slowly, and 
give rise to few s^^nptoms, outside of the swelling. In the horse 
they are of most frequent occurrence on the front of the shoulder, 
and next in fre((uence along the chest and belly. In some cases the 
pus ma}^ be absorbed, the vessels removing the fluids, and the re- 
maining cells withering away, or even the entire collection may be 
removed, restoring the part to its natural functions. This, however, 

is not the common procedure; usually a 
chronic abscess, no less than an acute, 
calls for skillful treatment. 

Treatment. — lu treating an abscess, it 
is first necessary to bring it to a head 
by poultices or a blister. Our Absorbent 
Blister No. 11 will be found excellent for 
this purpose. After coming to a point, 
it should be opened in such a way as to 
allow of free drainage, which is done 
b\' puncturing the most dependent part 

ABSCESS LANCK. ■ i • i « x i^- i .f ix 

in Avhicli any fluctuation can be lelt. 
The secondary treatment will consist in using the following Anti- 
septic Lotion No. 1, and preventing the opening from closing until 
it has healed thoroughly within. 

No.l. Carbolic acid, 1 part. 

Pure water, 40 jiarts. 

Mix, and Avush two or tbree times a day. 

When a fistulous opening is discovered, it will be necessary to as- 
certain if any dead bone, or other irritating substance, is at the bot- 
tom of the cavity, and if there is, to at once remove it, which will alh)\v 
the healing process to proceed. The injection of the following so- 
lution, which may easily be accomplished with a glass syringe, will 
close these canals : 




No. 2. 



Corrosive sublimate. 1 part. 
Alcohol. S parts. 

Mix, and inject a little everj- three days. 



THE PROCESS AXD EFFECTS OF INFLAMMATION. 199 

VII. Ulceration. 

At times, owing to low condition of the body, or of an organ, there 
is left, after the abscess has burst, a slow-healing, unhealth}^ sore. 
This is called an ulcer, which is really neither more nor less than the 
death of a part in small particles. Treatment will consist in remov- 
ing the cause, freely scraping all diseased parts away, and using 
powdered naphthaline, dusting it on the wound once or twice daily. 
In some cases, where the ulcers heal slowly, it is necessary to touch 
the edges with caustic, to stimulate their growth. 

VIII. Interstitial Deposits. 

If the distension of the blood-vessels in the inflammatory process 
is great, the albuminous portions of the blood may pass out throuo-h 
their coats, and fibrin be formed in the cells of the tissue. The ma- 
terial so generated is known as lymph. Its more fluid parts are soon 
absorbed, and the lymph then becomes firm and solid. Lymph, 
when the result of a weak inflammation, has a tendency to become 
rapidly organized, and take a permanent place among the living- 
structures of the bodv. None of the other fluids derived from the 
blood under such circumstances are capable of this change. This, in 
the wise provision of Nature, is the material by which wounds are re- 
paired, broken bones joined, and new parts of the body built up. 
But while, in some cases, lymph is most useful as a means of repair, 
in others it may be formed in structures where, from its adhesive 
qualities, it becomes a source of great mischief, as in the lungs and its 
covering, and many other parts; or, again, it may be deposited in ex- 
cess of the quantity required for repair, and in this way, when con- 
solidated, may work unsightliness and real injury, producing such en- 
largements of parts as are well know^n to all. 

IX. riortiiication or Gangrene. 

This differs from ulceration thus: in ulceration the tissue dies in 
small pieces, while in mortification a large part is involved. It ensues 
upon a stoppage of the circulation going to or coming from the injured 
part, and unless the dead tissue is promptly removed, there is great 
danger of blood poisoning. This is the danger which, in medical 
practice, so often prompts the physician to lose no time in resorting 
to surgery, whenever the part affected admits of amputation. 



200 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

X. Treatment of Local Inflammation. 

The treatment of inflammation is only secondary, the first thing 
being the removal of the cause. We will first describe the proper 
treatment for local inflammation. 

As this is generally due to the presence of some irritant or other, 
that should be sought for and removed as quickly as possible. In the 
acute stages, the various lotions to cool and relieve pain are first in- 
dicated. After using these, the part may be supported by a bandage, 
if the legs are the parts affected. The following are soothing and 
cooling lotions of approved excellence : 

No. 3. Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 

Sugar of lead, y^ ounce. 

Water (pure), 1 pint. 

Mix, and bathe two or three times a day. 

No. 4. Muriate of ammonia, 2 ounces. 

Common salt, 2 ounces. 

Nitrate of potash, 1 ounce. 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix, and apply three times a day. 

Hot or cold application of water, lasting for half an hour at a time, 
are frequently of very great benefit. 

Poultices. — Poultices are frequently helpful, and, where convenient 
to apply, may be used either hot or cold, but when the hot ones are 
used they must be changed regularly to be of benefit. It will not do 
to simply make the part warm at intervals ; it must be hept warm con- 
tinuously. Cold poultices do not need so frequent removal, changing 
twice a day, to prevent souring, being sufiicient. The substance com- 
posing the poultice is a matter of choice. Linseed meal and bran, in 
equal parts, makes as good a poultice as any for the most of cases.. 
Of patent preparations there are many, some good, some poor. 

Stimulating Liniments. — These are serviceable after the first acute 
pains have left the parts. Two good formulas are appended. 

No. 5. Strong water of ammonia, 1 ounce. 

Soap liniment, 1 ounce. 

Pure water, 1 pint. 

Mix, and apply two or three times a. day. 

The strength of the above may be increased by adding ammonia, 

or, on the other hand, diluted with water. No. 6 is much stronger. 

No. 6. Strong water of ammonia, 1 part. 

Water, 1 part. 

Oil of turpentine, 2 parts. 

Olive or linseed oil, 4 parts. 

Mix. 



THE PROCESS AND EFFECTS OF INFLAMMATION. 201 

This liniment may be diluted by adding oil, or its strength in- 
creased by more ammonia. 

Tincture of iodine, painted on swollen places, very frequently re- 
moves the swelling, but should only be used after the soothing lotions 

have been tried. ^^ .„,. , 

XI. Blisters. 

Counter-irritants. — Counter-irritants are used principally in chronic 
cases. They comprise blisters, setons, and the actual cautery or 
hot iron. Rowels are not used at the present time. Setons are 
pieces of tape passed beneath the skin, or through an abscess, etc., 
from one point to another. They will be ampl}^ treated of in our 
chapter on Operations, and so will be the actual cautery by the hot iron. 

Blistering, — In applying blisters to the horse, the part is first 

washed clean and thoroughly dried, the hair removed, and the blister 

applied a little at a time, carefully rubbed into the skin, and finally a 

light layer of the ointment smeared on. We give some approved 

formulas for blisters of different strength. 

No. 7. Powdered Spanish flies, 1 part. 

Lard or vaseline, 8 parts. 

Mix. 

The above should be prepared by melting over a very slow fire and 
frequently stirred. 

No. 8. Powdered Spanish flies, 3 ounces. 

Olive oil, 1 pint. 

Oil of thyme, 2 ounces. 

Melt the flies and oil over a slow fire in the "water bath" for six 

hours, then add the oil of thyme, and keep in a stoppered bottle. 

No. 9. Powdered Spanish flies, 2 ounces. 

Powdered euphorbium, i^ ounce. 
Spirits of wine, 40 ounces. 

Mix, and set aside for a week. 

This last is a sweating blister. It may be used without clipping 
the hair or leaving blemishes. Blisters should never be applied to a 
very large surface, as they are liable to be taken into the system and 
cause serious damage. After blistering, keep the head tied high, 
so as to prevent the horse from biting the blistered surface, and 
thus also perhaps injuring his mouth severely. After three days 
the part should be washed with warm water and soap, thoroughly 
dried, and then a little grease applied. 

XII. Treatment of General Inflammation. 
This it will serve our reader's purpose far the best to have de- 
scribed under the different diseases involved. The classes of rem- 



202 



THE AMERICAK FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



edies here called for are: Sedatives, for lowering the heart's action; 
stimulants, for weak and debilitated conditions; diuretics, acting 
through the kidneys; diaphoretics, through the skin ; and purgatives, 
through the bowels. The three last mentioned are generally used to 
aid a weak part in its functions, by drawing away surplus blood. 

XIII. Bleeding. 
At the present day bleeding is rarely resorted to by educated vet- 
erinarians. In timespast bleeding was the "main hold" of medicine. 
It was bleed for everything, regardless of the strength of the suf- 
ferer, or any other element of the prognosis. In many debilitated 
cases, a half gallon of blood was removed, when the same quantity 
should ha^ie been injected; and, taking it all together, the number of 
needless deaths caused by the practice can hardly be computed. 
Still, the practice should not be entirely discarded, as in the case of 
robust patients, with a full, strong pulse, and at the commencement 
of inflammatory trouble, the removal of several quarts of blood may 
aid in changing the course of the disease. It is also beneficial at 
times in such ailments as brain fever, acute founder, etc. 

How to Bleed a Horse. — The life-like illustration on page 195 
shows the position of the jugular vein in the neck, which should be care- 
fully located. By placing the finger firmly over the vein it can be 
made to fill, and it may then be opened by using a fleam and 

blood-stick; or, in an emer- 
gency, an ordinar}^ sharp- 
pointed knife will do. The 
fleam is placed over the 
enlarged vein, and firmly 
and quickly p 
tapped with 
the blood- 
slick, thus 
the opera- 
tion is per- 
formed be- 
fore the an- 
imal has a 

chance to object. After removing the desired amount of blootl, the 
outer skin opening should be closed by inserting a pin through its 
two edges, and winding a piece of thread, in figure 8 form, over the 
ends, as shown in the cut of -'Pin Suture." The results of bleeding 
will be considered elsewhere, along with explanation of the veins. 





FI.EAM FOU BLEEDING. 



PIN SUTITHF. 



CHAPTEE XV. 

DISEASES OP THE BONES. 



I. INFLAMMATION OF THE BONE AND ITS COVERING. II. SORE SHINS. III. 

CARIES, OR ULCERATION OF A BONE. IV. NECROSIS, OR MORTIFICATION 

OF A BONE. ^V. NASAL GLEET. VI. LUMPY JAW. VII. BONE CAN- 
CER. VIII. BONE AND CARTILAGE TUMORS. IX. BIG HEAD. X. DR. 

STEWART'S REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF BIG HEAD. XI. FORMER INHUMAN 

MODES OF TREATMENT. XII. WHAT BRINGS ON BIG HEAD?— XIII. 

SYMPTOMS, AS DESCRIBED BY STEWART. XIV. DR. STEWART'S METHOD OF 

TREATMENT. 

I. Inflammation of the Bone and Its Covering. 

The bone and the dense fibrous membrane that wraps it round and 
nourishes it, called the j)eriosteum, are so intimately connected that 
rarely does inflammation of one fail to include inflammation of the 
other. In the extent of surface involved, there is a great difference; 
in some cases it is a very small spot, in others the whole of the bone. 
It ends in one of two ways — in exostosis, or the formation of a bony 
substance, or else in suppuration, which sometimes is very extensive. 

Causes. — The causes are various. It is most commonl}'" the result 
of injuries, — bruises, cuts, concussion from galloping and trotting on 
hard roads, etc. ; 3^et it may occur as the sequel of certain diseases. 

Symptoms. — Lameness, which is the most prominent symptom, 
may at first be but slight, but the part is very warm and tender to the 
feel; the swelling becomes more marked, and unless relief is had, ex- 
ostosis may ere long ensue. 

Treatment. — Remove the shoes, have the feet leveled, and place 
the horse on a good soft bed. In a very severe case, the slings may 
be necessary. As to medication, in the acute stages use Liniment No, 
3 or No. 4. For chronic cases more vigorous measures are necessary, 
and then blisters will be the proper recourse, to be applied as directed 
in Chapter XIV. Our No, 8 will usually be suitable, though in cer- 
tain cases the following will be found better still. 

No. 10. Red iodide of mercury, 2 parts. 

Powdered Spanish flies, 1 part. 
Lard, 6 parts. 

Mix. 

203 



204 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



II. Sore Shins. 
This is a common disease, often seen in young race-horses, and 
ao-ain in old, hard-worked draft horses. New bone forms abnormally 
on the cannon bone and upper pastern, some- 
times in one shape and sometimes in another. 
In some cases the outgrowth assumes the ap- 
pearance of large, warty excrescences ; in 
others it is merely a thin layer, rough like hoar 
frost, or any one of a great variety of shapes 
between these two. 

Causes. — Iii young animals its antecedent is 
nearly always soUie strain on the soft bones ; 
in old ones, it is the result of continued over- 
work, without the proper intervals of rest be- 
tween. 

Symptoms. — Eestlessness; changing from 
one foot to another; stiffness of movement; 
knuckling of the fetlock, or bending of the 
knees. 

Treatment. — This cannot be undertaken 
with much confidence of success as to a cure, 
though the trouble may be checked, and the 
suffering greatly mitigated. Remove the shoes, 
place on a soft floor, and keep on a low diet 
for awhile. Clip the hair from the shins, and 




SORE SHIN. 



rub in the following absorbent blister 



No. 11. Red iodide of mercury, 1 part. 

Lard, 4 parts. 

Mix. 



The bony deposits ave shown 
near tlie joint. 



Rub thoroughly into the skin: after three 
days wash the shins, and apply a little grease. 
The cautery or hot iron may, perhaps, be used to advantage, but this 
is to be determined by a competent veterinarian alone. After the 
more active treatment is dropped, let the animal run on soft pastur- 
age for a few months. 

III. Caries, or Ulceration of a Bone. 
This is seen affecting the bones of every part of the body, but more 
frequently in cattle than in horses. The process of which it consists 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



205 




CARIES OF THE UPPER JAW. 



Produced by disease of the teeth. 



is the counterpart, precise!}, of ulceration of the soft parts, described 
in Section VII of the preceding chapter. 

Causes. — Tliese are very 
varied, — anything, in fact, 
that is capable of wounding 
or bruising the different 
parts of the body ; or it may 
be simply the extension of 
some obstinate disease from 
an adjoining part. 

Symptoms. — There is generally a sinus or canal, from which pro- 
ceeds the odor of dead bone. The presence of decomposed bone may 
be easily detected by the black discoloration it produces on 
any article made of silver. There will also be a most sensible 
difference to the touch ; the bone will feel rough — perhaps, in 
places, almost like saw-teeth, whereas in health it is smooth. 
The parts most affected are the jaw and teeth, the sinuses of 
the head, and the poll, withers, ribs and tail. 

Treatment. — Remove the decaying bone, by scraping with 
any blunt surface, or with a bone scraper, the instrument 
which is shown in the cut. Various acids will remove a 
slouo;h, and leave a healino- surface. Hvdrochloric and nitro- 
muriatic acids are among the number. On account of their 
great strength, these must be applied with caution, by means 
of a small pad, and only to the decaying spots. Under ap- 
propriate treatment wounds of the jaw heal especially easily. 
In this disease, whenever the bojie is exposed, it should be 
protected from the air by the use of cotton batting. 

IV. Necrosis, or Mortification of a Bone. 

The difference between necrosis and caries is, that in the 
former there is death of a large part, or sometimes the whole, 
of the bone, while in the latter there is a gradual decay of 
only a small surface. This corresponds, as will be seen, to 
the difference between mortification and ulceration, as dis- 
criminated for the soft parts of the body a few pao;es back. bone 

^ . * . SCRAPER. 

Causes. — Necrosis generally comes from bruises and injuries 
of various kinds. It may also be the after-effect of some debilitating 
disease or other. 



206 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 

Symptoms. — There are usually several openings, from which iv=5sues 
a discharge of very offensive pus, with small pieces of bone. In this 
disease Nature's reparative power is wonderfully exhibited in the 
formation of new bone outside of the old, during the progressive 
decay and gradual discharge of the latter, through the openings seen 
on the surface. A thickening of the bone naturally results from this 
process. 

Treatment. — This disease takes a very determinate course, that to- 
ward the construction of new bone, while at the same time getting 
rid of the old. The only specific treatment will be to aid Nature, by 




SPLINTER FORCEPS. 

removing with the splinter forceps, which are figured in the accom- 
panying cut, any loose bone that can be felt with a probe, after- 
wards cleansing the wound by syringing with an}^ good antisejjtic so- 
lution, such as No. 1 or No. 13. Of course, the patient's comfort 
should meanwhile be provided for in every suitable way. 

V. Nasal Gleet. 

The sinuses of the head are the cavities in and between its various 
bones. These spaces are lined with a membrane capable of secret- 
ing a certain fluid, which in health is of a thin consistence, but in this 
disease turns to pus. As nasal gleet is very liable to be confounded 
with glanders, a correct diagnosis is extremely important. 

Causes. — Catarrh of the nose, influenza, etc. ; also from disease of 
the root of a molar tooth in the immediate vicinity of some of the 
cavities referred to ; or it may appear in connection Avith some disease 
of the bones of the face. 

Symptoms. — The discharge of pus is seen from one or both nos- 
trils, according as the nasal passages are involved on one side or both. 
The pus of nasal gleet will float in water, whereas the discharge of 
glanders will sink, on account of being heavy with dead tissues. Dead 
bone, decomposing food, or pus, may each give an offensive smell to 
the breath ; hence, the diagnosis must be made with care, even though 
there be no cause to suspect glanders. In nasal gleet the sinuses 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 207 

are usually filled with pus or a bloody fluid. Tapping the bones on 
both sides of the head with the finger is the usual way of differentiat- 
ing these conditions. If there is a dull sound given forth, this indicates 
the presence of fluids within. Occasionally in this ailment there is a 
decided bulging of the bones. 

Treatment. — After ascertaining that matter is surely present under 
a particular bone of the head, the thing to do is to remove it by the 
operation called trephining. But before proceeding to this, it is a 
good practice to first bore a hole through the bone with a gimlet, and 
th.us "make assurance doubly sure" as regards the presence of pus. 
Next remove a circular piece of skin from the part to be worked on, 
and then, with the instrument called a trephine, remove the circular 
piece of bone, in the way that will be more fully described in another 
part of this work, under the head of Ojjerations. The after-treat- 
ment will consist in carefully syringing with antiseptic solutions, 
such as the following : 

No. 12. Corrosive sublimate, 5 graius. 

Pure water, 1 pint. 

Shake well before using, which do every day, or every two days, 
according to the aggravation of the symptoms. 

VI. Lumpy Jaw. 

This is a disease which develops gradually, and is much oftener 
seen in cattle and sheep than in horses. - Its spread among the cattle 
in some parts of the West has of late years entailed heavy losses on 
many stock-raisers. 

Cause. — A small vegetable fungus, called the actinomyces, found 
at times in the head of different grains. This fungus is supposed to 
enter into the system through some cut or abrasion of the membrane 
of the mouth, or in the skin somewhere on. the face, and from thence 
to work its way to the jaws, tongue, skin, ancl internal organs. 

Manifestations. — Small masses or tumors, from the size of a pin to 
that of an Qgg, which, as a rule, do not suppurate, The parts in- 
volved are the skin of the jaws, the upper and lower jaw-bones, the 
tongue, and the various internal organs. 

Treatment. — When the lumps are in the skin, if they are cut out, 
the disease will often go no further. But in the case of fat cattle, 
the best plan is to turn them over to the butcher. The Department 
of Agriculture, in a circular dated August, 1892, has given prominence 



THE AMERICAN FAEMER 8 HORSE BOOK. 



to a new method of treating this disease in cattle: "The treatment 
consists in giving full doses of iodide of potassium (procurable at 
any drug store) once or twice a day until improvement is noticed, 
when the dose may be reduced or given less frequently. The size of 
the dose should depend somewhat upon the weight of the animal. M. 
Thomassen gives one and one-half drachms of iodide of potassium 
daily in one dose, dissolved in a pint of water, until improvement is 
noticed, which he states is always within eight days. Then he de- 
creases the dose to one drachm. The animals do well under this 
treatment, showing only the ordinar}^ sjnnptoms which follow the 
use of iodine, the principal ones being discharge from the nose, 
weeping of the eyes, and peeling of the outer layer of the skin. 
These symptoms need cause no uneasinees, as they never result in 
any serious disturbance of the health." 

VII. Bone Cancer. 
In this disease the bone textures change to a fleshy substance, con- 
taining cells similar to those found in the human subject affected 
with cancer. 

Causes. — Some injury or other, or it may result from ulceration 
of the root of a molar tooth. Some authors think it is due to a tu- 
berculous diathesis, as upon dissection the various structures adjoin- 
ing the tumor are frequently found matted together, and firmly 
adherent to it, whilst spots of tubercular matter may be found here 
and there scattered throughout its substance. 

Symptoms. — When affecting the jaw, its outward manifestation is 
very similar to lumpy jaw, just described. The part most usuallj^ af- 
fected is the upper jaw, which 
appears smaller and shows a 
number of openings, whence is- 
sues an offensive discharge. In 
many cases the teeth fall out and 
the bone, if exposed, has a worm- 
eaten appearance. With the An- 
ger a fleshy mass may be felt, 
containing small pieces of bone. 
Treatment. — Treatment is useless, as the disease is incuralile ; but, 
of course, while the sufferer is allowed to live, he should l)e made as 
comfortable as possible. Bone cancer is not at all uniform in the 
time required to run its course. 




CANCER OF TUE LOWEK JAW-BONE. 
The worm-eaten appeiirauce is here plaiulj' shown 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



209 



VIII. Bone and Cartilage Tumors. 
Bone tumors are frequently seen as exostosis on various parts of the 
horse's body. Our plan will be to consider them elsewhere, in con- 
nection with the diseases of those parts, because this will be at once 




BONE TUMOR OF THE LOWER JAW (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH). 

more convenient and more practical. Cartilage or gristle tumors are 
seen principally on the shoulder-blade, ribs, breast-bone, etc., where 
they seldom cause much inconvenience. Bone tumors may be 
found on any part of the body. Our illustration shows one 
on the lower jaw. 

Symptoms. — Cartilage tumors are known by their positions 
in the neighborhood of gristle. They feel hard, but have a 
degree of elasticity which readily distinguishes them from 
bone. No signs of inflammation are present, on account of 
what is scientifically called the low organization of the abnor- 
mal growth; in other words, the meagreness of its supply of 
nerves, blood-vessels, etc. 

Treatment. — When in the neighborhood of a joint, the re- 
moval of a cartilage tumor is a very delicate operation, but 
in almost any other part of the body it may be removed 
without difficulty by a chisel or knife. Ordinarily, very little 
bleeding results, and they seldom return. The bone chisel 
in common use amono; veterinarians is shown in the accom- bone 
panying cut. It will be seen to be a very simple instrument. '^^^^^^^ 

IX. Big Head. 

This is a remarkable disease of the bones among not only the 
horses, but also the cattle and sheep of various countries, European as 
14 




210 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

well as American. It is known to college-bred veterinarians as osteo- 
porosis, though some have confounded it with osteo-sarcoma, which 
is the technical name of bone cancer, just described. Its most 
common victims are young horses, between two and six years of age. 
In America it is a common and much dreaded disease throughout the 
great Mississippi Valley, and an occasional case occurs in almost every 
part of the Union. 

Causes — The very best veterinarians have failed, as yet, in their 
efforts to trace this strange malady to its origin ; but, as it is con- 
stantly seen in connection Avith certain well-ascertained conditions, 
these conditions are naturally supposed to be closely related, at least, 
to its causes. Thus its hot-bed, so to speak, is always the low-lying 
districts in which malaria abounds. Regions where there is a de- 
ficiency of the limestone formation beneath the soil constitute an- 
other of its favorite habitats. Ill-usage and hard work have been 
assigned by some as predisposing causes, but without sufficient reason. 

Symptoms. — Big head has a very varied range of manifestations. 
The majority of cases have a history about as follows : The animal may 
appear in the usual good health, and eating heartily, when a peculiar 
enlarged condition of the bones of the face and one or both jaws will 
be noticed, and on examining the mouth some of the teeth may be 
found missing. As the disease progresses, the swelling of the head, 
etc., increases; the poor creature, more particularly, of course, when 
at rest, appears sleepy and stupid ; the hair becomes drj' and erect, 
the skin hide-bound, and the flanks are drawn up. The appetite, 
however, will continue good to the end. The lameness, which may 
appear at any stage of the disease, resembles rheumatism in character ; 
it will be seen to change from one limb to another, and at the end of 
several weeks or months may, perhaps, have shifted several times. 
The bones of the legs and the joints are markedl}' painful, as well as 
SAvollen. Owing to the brittle condition of the bones, not infrequently 
they are found broken, or the ligaments of the joints break away 
from no apparent cause. 

Treatment. — Veterinary writers have scarcely noticed this disease 
until within the last twenty-five years, and the}' are all but unanimous 
in pronouncing it incurable. In other words, it is regarded as one of 
those "progressive" maladies which no remedies can reach. In tho 
first stages, by allowing a run at pasture for some months, there may 
be an apparent recovery, but relief is only temporary, the trouble 
being certain to return. 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



211 



X. Dr. Stewart's Remarkable Account of Big Head. 

Writing in the year 1866, Dr. Stewart has left on record a unique 
account of this disease, from which we make some extracts, as likely 
to especially interest those of our readers residing in the regions in 
which he formerl}^ practiced. It will be seen that his testimony differs 
materially from the standard authorities in the veterinary world. A 
partial explanation is to be found, perhaps, in the looseness with 
which the name "big head," is popularly employed. Ju.st as "hog 
cholera" is used for at least four different diseases of swine, we sus- 
pect that big head has had to do duty, in common parlance, for 
more than one affliction of the horse. It is a cause for congratulation 
that this disease is less prevalent than formerly throughout the South. 

"This disease has a very peculiar history. It 
is exclusively American, or at least the English 
and French writers upon the horse have made no 
mention of it; and of American authorities, 
though all must have been well aware of its ex- 
istence, but few have given it any attention, 
probably from a want of knowledge of either its 
history or treatment, or, perhaps, of both. It 
prevails.most extensively in the great Valley of the 
Mississippi — in the States of Tennessee, Arkan- 
sas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. As we 
recede from the great river and its influences, it 
gradually diminishes ; yet isolated cases maybe 
found throughout the country, from the Eastern 
sea-board to the plains of the far West, and 
from the vicinity of the Ohio and the Potomac to 
the Gulf of Mexico. Its ravages appear to have 
been most of all destructive in Western Tennes- 
see, Northern Mississippi, and Eastern Arkansas, 
where, at one time, it assumed the features of 
an epidemic. During the years from 1849 to 
1858, when the author traveled extensively 

through those sections, and also through Northern Alabama, it was 
not uncommon to find, upon the smaller estates, from one to five 
horses and mules afflicted with big head in its worst forms, while the 
larger cotton plantations frequently presented the sad spectacle of 
twelve or fifteen utterly hopeless cases. 




A SEVERE CASE OF BIG 
HEAD. 

From a drawing furnished 
by Dr. Stewart. 



212 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Popular Ignorance. — "Atthatperiodthemostlamentableignoran.ee 
reif^ned everywhere in regard to this disease — its nature, causes, and 
treatment. Its pathology was not understood by any one. Every- 
where the horse doctor was looked upon with the utmost odium, and 
his name regarded as a synonym for imposition and low-bred igno- 
rance. At the very threshold of research, this terrible malad}-, big 
head, presented its most formidable front, and the curt language of 
the people of the country was commonly such as this : 'Take that old 
horse with the big head, and try your hand on him. If you can cure 
him, you can cure any of them.' But the work was entered upon 
with the determination to clear up the mysteries enshrouding the sub- 
ject, and, if possible, to discover some rational means of cure. That 
this was accomplished may now be seen, and thousands at the 
South will attest. 

XI. Former Inhuman Methods of Treatment. 

"Among the senseless practices then in vogue for 'putting back the 
bisf head,' as it was called, some were barbarous in the extreme. 
First in the horrible list of savageries was the practice of burning or 
scalding with a horn filled with a hot mush, made of ashes and boiling- 
water, until the skin and flesh were literally cooked, so as to cause 
them to slough off, in a few daj^s, quite to the bone. Another equally 
inhuman practice was to run a sharp-pointed, red-hot iron into the 
jaw, and entirely through the bone. One singular expedient, much 
resorted to, w^as the extraction of one or two of the large molars, or 
double teeth, by means of a large pair of tongs, called 'tooth-pullers' 
about three feet long, and in shape like a pair of blacksmith's tongs, 
with a shoulder near the end, so arranged as to take hold of the teeth, 
which were thus wrenched out. But the greatest enormity was the 
use of arsenic. The plan was to cut through the skin to the jaw- 
bone, insert a quantity of arsenic with a quill, and then close the 
wound. A dreadful inflammation and swelling was the inevitable re- 
sult, the head sometimes becoming as large as a half-bushel. An ab- 
scess soon formed, terminating in\ariably in a running sore, offensive 
almost beyond endurance. It was no unconnnon thing for the flesh 
and skin to slough off, leaving the bone exposed, when onlj^ the ut- 
most care could save the wretched animal from the maggot, the fly, 
and, at last, the merciful interposition of death. 

"Other equally revolting and barbarous systems of treatment w^ere 
current, but it is needless to occup}^ further space in describing them. 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 213 

That these practices must be described mainly as things of the past, 
must be a source of deep thankfuhiess to every humane person. 
They shocked and disgusted intelligent men, even when at their 
height; and, as the lesser choice of tAvo evils, many horses were 
given over to die, without any effort to save them. Still, no attempt 
was made to introduce a rational substitute, and hence the ignorant 
horse doctors of that period — or 'butchers' as they w^ere often called — 
had everthing their own w^ay. The people everywhere hailed with 
gladness the Improved modes of treatment, and presented the author 
with many valuable tokens of their appreciation and gratitude." 

XII. What Brings On Big Head? 

In answering this question, Dr. Stewart, after calling attention to 
the fact that "the water in West Tennessee, Northern Mississippi, and 
Eastern Arkansas is not only singularly devoid of lime, but is re- 
markable for containing so many other minerals," says: "In grass- 
growing districts the disease is rare, and even in the infected districts 
horses seldom have it, if they have access to good pasture. The 
trouble is that at the South, unless there has been a great improve- 
ment in this department of plantation management within a very few 
years past, the horse is seldom allowed the benefit of even the poor 
grazing of the dried up fields of July and onward, but, when not in 
service, is usually kept in the stable, or a dry stable-lot. 

Corn and Corn-Fodder. — "Corn and corn-blades stripped from the 
stalk in the month of August and dried, constitute the principal food 
in the stables of the South. It is — or at least was, during the 
author's residence in that region — a common practice to feed nothing 
but these for months together, the horse, meanwhile, being kept at 
continuous hard labor. Corn is very heating in its tendency, and a 
horse which lives exclusively upon it is seldom entirely free from 
fever. As to corn-fodder, no common aliment is probably less fa- 
vorable to the animal's health than corn-fodder, as it is harvested at 
the South — very dry, always dusty, and often very much injured by 
rains, while standing in the field; in many cases the crop is not gath- 
ered until midwinter, and sometimes not even until spring. It is no 
uncommon scene, in Tennessee and Mississippi, to find one set of hands 
gathering corn in one-half of the field, while in the other a second 
set are putting in the new crop. Corn that stands out a whole winter 
in this way must, of course, be greatly injured, and some of it actu- 
ally rotten. Not only that which falls down upon the wet ground is 



214 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

damaged ; but, of what remains standing, the large or stump-end of 
the ears are generally much softened, if not decayed. The same is 
true of the fodder; most of it, by standing out in shocks, becomes- 
damp and moldy. On such food two-thirds of the horses at the 
South are compelled to live, and, as a consequence, more than one- 
half of them suffer continually from fever." 

Climatic Causes. — "In connection with water and food, climate 
has, undoubtedly, a powerful influence in developing big head. Cases 
may occur elsewhere than in malarious districts, but they are of rare 
occurrence, while, on the other hand, the stronger the malarious in- 
fluence the more frequent is the disease. In Western Tennessee and 
Eastern Arkansas, portions of country well known for their unhealth- 
fullness, it is most common and fatal, increasing as we approach the 
Mississippi. The whole valley of that great river, from the mouth of 
the Ohio to the Gulf, is low, damp, and malarious. 

Plantation Ill-usage. — "Nor must bad treatment be overlooked in 
enumeratino; the causes of big head. No one who has given the sub- 
ject any attention can have failed to notice that the horse well cared 
for and kindly treated is much less likely to contract the disease than 
one ill-used. On many Southern plantations there are no stables; 
and on many others it was not uncommon, a few years ago, to find 
the horse in the pens which were called such, half-leg deep in mud 
and water, at mid-winter, and in summer standing upon great steam- 
ing piles of manure. He was generally left in the sole charge of 
careless negroes, who neither knew, nor cared to know, much about 
his wants or his health ; and who, after working the faithful creature 
hard all day, and abusing him recklessly, thought their duty fully 
discharged, if at night they shut him up in these pens to gorge himself 
from a trough-full of corn and fodder. Nor did the poor animal's 
ill-usage always end even with this. Often he was pressed into the 
service of some pilfering or trading expedition, conducted under 
cover of night ; ridden at the top of his speed to the rendezvous ; 
tied to a tree in the woods, without any protection from the weather, 
no matter how cold; and then, in the morning, galloped back, until 
he was steaming with perspiration, just in time to eat his corn and 
be driven out to work again. Such was the treatment of thousands 
of horses at the South fifteen or twenty years ago. Of course, dis- 
ease did a fearful work among them." 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 215 

XIII. Symptoms, as Described by Stewart. 

"In its very first stage, big head may be easily detected by running 
the thumb up under the lip, alongside the under jaw-bone, between the 
lip and the teeth. The side of the jaw should be nearly perpendic- 
ular Avith the teeth above. Should there be any enlargement, even 
as much as the eighth of an inch, let the farmer beware of that horse. 
Any swelling of the head or upper-jaw he can see at the first careful 
glance. The nasal bone, which lies in a direct line from the eye to the 
nose, is the one that becomes misshapen and betrays the presence of 
the disease. The skin and muscles of the head become fixed, and 
will not move by pulling the lips. One of the surest indications of 
big head is a constant sleepiness while standing. As the disease 
progresses, the appearance of the poor victim becomes pitiable in the 
extreme. He is gaunt and drawn up, his hind and forefeet almost 
together; his head droops, and water runs from his eyes; the hair is 
erect; the joints are stiff; and the skin is dry and hard, and seems 
very tight. His excrement, which is hard, black, and almost entirely 
destitute of moisture, is voided with great difliculty. 

"As has been intimated, the disease in its first stages is not percep 
tible to the unpracticed eye. It then presents no external evidences 
by which it maybe known, and hence many an amateur trader in 
horses and mules has been deceived. The unsuspecting owner soon 
finds that something is wrong; the horse is stiff, and does not move 
with his accustomed vivacity and spirit. But his appetite is good. 
Very likely, indeed, he eats voraciouslj^, and this only serves to allay 
suspicion. A horse with the big head continues to eat until the last 
moment. When no longer able to raise his head from the earth, the 
poor creature, lying upon his side, as well as he can, begs for corn ; 
and strange as it may appear, corn — the undue use of which is one of 
the principal causes of the disease — is the only food he wants, and 
nothing else will he eat." 

XIV. Dr. Stewart's Method of Treatment. 

Dr. Stewart, like nearly all veterinarians of his time, was an ardent 
believer in the virtue of bleeding, . nd bleeding was the first step in 
his treatment of big head, as of almost every other ailment. Next 
came the application of a strong corrosive liniment, care being taken 
to keep it in an earthenware cup. "It should be applied to the parts 
affected with a small mop, made by tying a piece of old cloth on the 



216 THE AMEEICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

end of a stick. One tablespoonful on each side of tlie head and 
jaw will be a sufficient application, the liquid being always well shaken 
previously. The parts must be well wet with the liniment, which 
should then be thoroughly dried in with a hot iron, held near the 
skin, but not touching it, as actual contact would not only needlessly 
torture the poor brute, but would destroy the effects of the remedy. 
The liniment should be applied in this way, everj^ other day, six or 
eight times ; or, in a bad case, the treatment may be continued as 
long as is necessary, varied by omitting the application four or five 
days at a time in every fortnight. It is important to remember that 
the horse's digestion, not the condition of his head and jaws, is the 
guide in determining what degree of success attends these efforts. 

The "Jimson" Seed Remedy. — "The effects of the disease will 
be likely to linger in the system long after it has been checked in the 
parts where it chiefly manifests itself. To remove these effects will 
be slow work ; but it must be done, or the disease will return again, in 
which case it will almost certainly prove fatal. To remove his stiffness, 
loosen his hide, and regulate his digestion, the following simple pre- 
scription should be given : One tablespoonful of stramonia seed — 
that is, the seed of the 'jimson weed,' as it is commonly called ; or of 
the thorn-apple, as it is otherwise known — in some meal or bran, 
every other day, until three or four doses have been administered. 
It may then be omitted for two or three daj^s. This medication 
should be repeated so long as may be found necessary. 

"Man}^ persons, supposing the 'jimson' seed to be poisonous, are at 
first afraid to give it. There is not the least danger, however, in 
using it as above directed. It has a very happy effect upon the 
horse's system, and especially upon his digestion. His excrement, 
which before was black, hard, and dry, becomes soft, and of a healthy 
yellow appearance. When this is accomplished, the patient is safe, 
and not until then, as this will not be the case until the disease is 
fairly broken. The use of the 'jimson' seed will do more to free him 
from the general effects of big head than all the other medicine which 
can be given him. Hundreds have been cured by it, where no other 
means were employed. 

A Remarkable Case. — "The author recollects one remarkable case 
of this sort. Mr. Richard Cross, of Hardeman county, Tennessee, 
had two valuable horses nearly ruined with big head. He turned 
them into a cotton-gin lot, of two or three acres, where was growing 
a flourishing crop of 'jimson' weeds, determined that they should eat 



DISEASES OF THE BONES. 217 

this or starve. Pressed by the gnawing of hunger, the horses first 
nibbled away at the leaves, then fed upon the buds, and at last de- 
voured stalks and all. Compassion finally drew his attention to these 
poor creatures, and to his astonishment he found them nearly well. 
When turned into the lot they could scarcely drag their feet over a 
rail, lying on the ground; but now, the little negro who first in- 
formed him of their improvement, put the case emphatically in these 
words: 'Massa, I tink old Gray 'most well; he kick up his heels.' 
Years afterward the Avriter saw the same old gray horse, as well and 
fat as could be desired. 

An Alternative Prescription. — "In case the 'jimson' seed cannot 
be procured, a quarter of a pound of sulphur may be given daily, to 
the amount of three or four pounds. In connection with the sulphur, 
the horse should have an aloes pill every other day for a week ; but 
the 'jimson' seed should be obtained, if possible. No other remedy 
can be absolutely depended upon, and it is principally to his reliance 
upon it that the author attributes his great success in curing big head. 

The Success Claimed. — "The swelling of the head and jaws will 
disappear very gradually, and in case it has been unusuallj^ great, the 
'bunches' will always show to some extent; but it will beoome less 
and less observable each successive year. Not less than two thousand 
horses and mules, of which the author had knowledge, were cured by 
this treatment during the years from 1850 to 1858. The cure is rad- 
ical. When it has once been effected, the horse is no more liable to 
the disease than if he had never had it; nor will any ugly scars remain 
to proclaim that he was ever unsound. 

Treatment Recapitulated. — "1st. Bleed two to six times, at inter- 
vals of six to ten days, according to the aggravation of the symptoms. 

"2d. Apply corrosive liniment every other day, as directed. 

"3d. Give a tablespoonful of stramonia, or 'jimson' seed, daily, 
with intervals of omission as specified, as long as necessary. 

"4th. In the absence of 'jimson' seed, give sulphur, and aloes pill. 

After-Treatment. — "This must be judicious and careful. Unless 
the object is to kill him, the horse should never be worked while con- 
valescing. When the weather is bad, he should be kept in a warm, 
clean stable. If pasture is in season, he should be turned upon it 
during the day, but during cold rains, and on chilly nights, he must 
be brought into the stable. Should the whether be unusually damp 
or cold, he should be covered with a blanket. The little blood which 
a horse in this condition has is very thick, and he is much more sensi- 
tive to the cold than when in health." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

INJURIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



I» POLL EVIL. II. FISTULA OP THE WITHERS. III. BONE SPAVIN. IV. 

SPLINTS. V. RING-BONES. VI. SIDE-BONES. 

As will be seen from the above synopsis, the different ailments to 
be described in this chapter are not numerous. Yet they embrace 
some of the most inveterate ills to which the horse is heir, and most 
of them are so common as to be familiar to even the farmer's bo3's. 

I. Poll Evil. 

This disease is rare at the present day compared with twenty or 
thirty years ago, which is one, among many, of the happ}^ results of 
the improvements which have come into vogue in stable management, 
etc. The seat of poll evil is just back of the ears over the first cervi- 
cal vertebrae. Poll is the old English word for head, and in popular 
language it is on the top of the head that this sore evil makes its ap- 
pearance. 

Causes. — External violence, such as striking the head on the man- 
ger, or against low ceilings or doorways, or from blows; or it may 
come from pulling back on the halter. 

Symptoms. — There will first be noticed a swelling, the pain of 
which will make the neck stiff, as the sufferer cannot bear to move it. 
Passing to the next stage, pus is formed, which, owing to the softness 
of the part, will burrow in different directions, forming sinuses, or 
jnpes. The inflammation is very great, and usually extends to the 
bone, producing caries, or ulceration. In old cases it is a common 
thing to see several openings discharging pus, which has a verv bad 
smell, and when the bone is affected, is offensive in the extreme. 

Treatment. — At the outset of the disease, the effort should be to 
remove the inflammation and prevent (lie f(n-niation of pus, by using 
the Cooling Lotion No. 4, or poulticing with hot bran and linseed poul- 
tice. When, however, pus has actually formed, which may readily 
be recognized by a feeling of softness to the touch, principally at one 

218 



INJURIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



219 



spot, more heroic measures are necessary. The swelling should be 
cut open, so as to prevent the pus from burrowing, and then dressed 
with No. 12. All the pipes should be opened to the bottom, and No. 
2 injected once or twice, to remove the membrane formed. If there 
is diseased bone, the decaying portions will need removal by scrap- 
ing, or by repeated injections of the following cleansing lotion: 



No. 14. 



Solution of chloride of lime, 1 part. 
Pure water, 10 parts. 

Mix. 



After a healthy wound is secured, use No. 12, the same as for a 
simple case, and a cure will shortly be effected. 

II. Fistula of the Withers. 

The withers in some horses are very prominent, and for this reason 
especially liable to bruises by bad fitting saddles, or in rolling on 
stony ground, etc., resulting in a condition the same as in poll evil, 
but differently located. 

Symptoms. — There is a painful swelling, which looks larger than 
it really is, from the natural prominence of the parts. Pus is pres- 
ently formed, and burrows along the loose textures very readily in all 
directions, forming, just as in poll evil, a series of pipes or sinuses, 
which frequently run far under the shoulder-blade, or in other* cases 
affect the spines 
of the vertebrae 
(ridges of the 
back-bone), pro- 
ducing caries or 
ulceration. 

The external 
view is well de- 
picted in the en- 
graving, which shows several openings actively suppurating, and 
faithfully reproduces the abject, woe-begone expression of the poor 
animal, whose whole appearance is one of great suffering. The pus 
from fistulous withers is thick and very foul smelling; when the bone 
is involved, the stench is sometimes almost intolerable. 

Treatment. — At the outset of the disease, try the Cooling Lotion 
No. 4, or the Soothing Lotion No. 3, to reduce the inflammation. In 
slow cases the Absorbent Blister No. 11 is very beneficial, to either 
draw the swelling to a head or to scatter it altogether. When pus 




FISTULA OF THE WITHERS. 



220 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




BANDAGE FOR THE WITHERS. 

Showing method of securing the ban- 
dage by straps from the four cor- 
ners, passing below and in front. 



has formed, it will be necessary to cut down and allow of its escape ; 
this can be freely done, as there are no important blood-vessels or 
nerves in this situation. The cut should be along the middle of the 
withers, whence any sinuses on either sides can be reached without 

difficulty. All dead bone should be re- 
moved by a gouge, while at the same time 
the healthy bone should be exposed to 
the air as little as possible. An opening 
for draining off the pus should be made 
at the lowest part of the pipe, and a piece 
of tape passed through to keep it open. 
In a very bad case, if there is a pipe ex- 
tending under the shoulder-blade, the vet- 
erinary surgeon may decide to cut 
through the bone, and drain it from that 
place. 

The withers should be dressed once a day in cold weather, and 
twice a day in hot, with either Lotion No. 1 or No. 12. These dress- 
ings must on no account be neglected. 

Caustics are frequently used with benefit to slough out the pipe, 
the writer's favorite for this purpose being powdered sulphate of 
copper wrapped in small pieces of paper, which are pushed to the bot- 
tom of the pipe. They may be removed in two- days' time, leaving a 
surface which generally heals very readih^ 

III. Bone Spavin. 

Structure of the Hock. — The hock is composed of six bones ar- 
ranged in two layers, one on top of the other, as shown in the cut on 
page 222. The external covering, or capsular ligament, is what prin- 
cipally binds them together; from its inner surface is secreted the 
joint oil, so essential for lubricating the surfaces (ends) of Hie bones, 
where they rub one upon the other. Each of the six small bones, 
just mentioned, has a layer of cartilage or gristle, whose important 
office is to reduce friction, and act as a buffer to prevent concus- 
sion. There are also a great number of short but very strong lig- 
aments, holding the small bones in position, and binding them to- 
gether. 

A spavin is an exostosis (in every-day English, a bon}^ formation), the 
sequel, generally, of an inflammation between the faces (ends) of these 



^^t 



'la 








221 



222 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



small bones we have described. It may appear anywhere around the 
hock, and at times is found affecting the inner faces of the bones 
when no external enlargement can be noticed. 
Certain shapes of the hock are found to pre- 
dispose to spavins. When, for instance, they 
are small from front to rear, and narrow and 
round, there is a tendency to straining of the 
ligaments, with extension of the resulting in- 
flammation to the bones ; and the same result 
maybe seen in young animals, from neglecting 
the feet and allowing the hoof, especially at 
the toes, to grow too long, causing it to act 
as a lever on the hock. It has long been ac- 
knowledged also that spavins are hereditary, 
and for that reason stallions and mares so 
affected should not be used for breeding pur- 
poses. Other causes are bad shoeing, putting 
the limb out of balance: injuries of various 
kinds, with extension of inflammation to the 
bones ; long rests in the stable, follow^ed by 
a hard trot; and standing in stables that have 
too great a slant of the flooring. 

Symptoms. — When not the result of injmy, 
the lameness w'ill come on gradually. The 
horse may be noticed in the morning to hop on being moved, 
but this quickly passes away. The leg will be favored, and the 
foot be rested on the toe, causing a wearing away of the shoe at 
that spot, and no enlargement of the hock will be perceptible. This 
condition may continue for several months. There is a peculiar catch 
or hop in hock lameness that is characteristic. It is well seen on 
severely flexing the joint, wdien the lameness will be exaggerated ; or, 
aofain, after restino; from a good drive, wdien the manifestations are 
very prominent. In many cases of hock troubles the lameness is very 
great at first starting the horse off, yet may disappear, or verj' nearly 
so, after driving a short distance. 

While the bony enlargements of spavin may present themselves 
anywhere around the hock, the most common place for their appear- 
ance is on the inner and lower side of the joint, and this likewise 
is the location where they generally occasion the most lameness. 




A SOUND HOCK. 



INJURIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



223 



They are frequent also on the back part of the outside, and in this 

phice are usually the result of some injury, and the lameness is 

not so severe. Occasionally, the inside 

faces of the bones are diseased without any 

external manifestations, so that the owner 

is puzzled to know why his horse goes lame. 

This is called internal spavin. 

Examination of the Hock. — In any case 
of suspected spavin, the hock should be ex- 
amined from different standpoints, the best 
of which is al)out two feet out from the 
shoulder. In the healthy horse there will 
be seen from this standpoint a straight line 
from the inner side of the lower end of the 
tibia above to the inner splint-bone below. 
(Be careful not to mistake the vein, at times 
quite full, which passes obliquely over the 
hock, for a spavin. To assure yourself, 
press on the swelling, just below the hock, 
and if it is the vein, the enlargement will 
quickly disappear. ) From the side a straight 
line should be found between the joint of 
the hock above and the fetlock below ; any 
deviation from this will indicate disease. 
The joint should be examined from the rear 
also, and both hocks carefully compared. 

Rough Hocks. — There is a difference of opinion concerning "rough 
hocks." Some colts are born with them. Notwithstanding they 
may not, and in most cases do not, cause lameness, they are not to 
be trusted, and animals so affected are not sound. 

Treatment of Spavins. — To speak first of prevention, no one 
should ever breed from a spavined mare or spavined stallion; and in 
young animals the feet should be kept pared down to the normal level. 
Treatment of a spavin is a matter of months, not of days, its object 
being to obtain an ankylosis or union of the diseased bone surfaces. 
This is effected more readily in animals below, than in those above, 
five years of age. 

In the case of old horses the prospects for a cure are alwaj's doubt- 
ful. At the outset the shoes are to be removed, and the feet leveled, 




BONE SPAVIN. 

Ill this example it is on the in- 
side of the hock. 



224 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



and cold applications will be in order to reduce the inflammation ; for 
which purpose cold water, or Cooling Lotion No. 4, or Soothing Lotion 
No. 3, will be found well adapted. The secondary treatment will 
consist of counter-irritation, by the use of blisters or the firing-iron. 
The Mixed Blister No. 10 is suitable, and should be re-applied in a 
month's time. It is always best to include the whole joint in the 
application. Afterwards place the patient in a box, with plenty of 
soft bedding. Firing is usually performed only over the enlarge- 
ment, but we cannot endorse this limitation, as the extent of the dis- 
ease cannot be measured by the external bunch. The better wa}^ in 
our judgment, is to fire the whole joint, and afterwards rub in Fly 
Blister No. 7. For different styles of firing, see Chapter XXXIX. 

IV. Splints. 

Of all the forms of exostosis, or bony growths, seen on the horse, 
splints are the most common, developing the most frequently while the 
animal is young. Their situation is between 
the cannon and splint bones, on either the 
inner or outer side of any of the legs ; but 
oftener than anywhere else on the inside of 
one of the front legs. Splints are distin- 
guished as "low" and "high." Low splints 
are those developed at the lower part of the 
junction of the two bones. They are not an 
unsoundness when cured, unless of such size, 
or in such position, as to interfere with the 
tendons, or get knocked in traveling. High 
splints are found close to the joints, which are 
liable to be involved by an extension of the in- 
flammation ; hence they are considered an un- 
soundness, even when cured. 

Causes. — Splints are the result of inflam- 
mation of the substance between the cannon 
and splint bones, the fluid there exuded grad- 
ually turning to the bone enlargements so 
commonly seen. If we could trace this in- 
flammation far enough back, we should find its 
origin in some injury or other, producing concussion, or else in 
havino; the shoes and feet not level, thus alterino; the natural pres- 
sure on the bony column of the leg. In some instances, however, 
splints are a natural formation, tending to strengthen the parts. 




HIGH SPLINT. 

The Splint is shown at c. 



INJURIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 225 

Symptoms. — These a:e bv no means uniform. In many cases, af- 
ter the bone has set, and all pain has left the part, there will be no 
lameness shown. At times the bony growth will be so small as to be 
scarcely discernible, while in other cases the effusion is large and, by 
stretching the sensitive periosteum, occasions great pain. When this 
effusion turns to bone, there is usually (not always) a passao;e for 
the tendons and vessels ; if otherwise, and they be cramped for room, 
the lameness will be great. There is a noticeable peculiarit}'' in splint 
lameness, namely, that the animal may walk all right, or nearlj^ so, 
but will go very lame in trotting; in that gait there is hardly any 
other form of lameness that drops so low. 

Treatment. — In the acute stage, when the pain amounts to severe 

punishment of the animal, the operation known as periosteotomy is 

the best recourse, and will at once afford great relief. It consists in 

slitting the membrane covering the enlargement, and will be described 

in our chapter on Operations. Otherwise, the Cooling Lotion No. 4, 

and the Soothing Lotion No. 3, are called for, these to be followed 

later by use of the Sweating Blister No. 9, or the Fly Blister No. 7, 

as a counter irritant. In chronic cases, the hot iron should be used 

(preferably the pointed iron), and Mixed Blister No. 10 rubbed in. 

Setons are sometimes passed over the bunch, but this is a practice 

tliat most of the best veterinarians seem to discredit at the present 

time. 

V. Ring-bones. 

A ring-bone is an exostosis, or bony formation, found on the upper 
and lower pastern bones, and most frequently affecting the hind leg. 
It is so called from its tendency to form a ring around the bone, par- 
ticularly at the joints, though in many cases they are simply small, 
round knobs, either at the border of the joint or high up on the pas- 
tern bone. According to their position, they are called high or low 
ring-bones, both kinds being illustrated on the next page. 

Causes. — As with bone spavins, so with ring-bones, there is a hered- 
itary tendency to their formation, for which reason it must again 
be emphasized that mares and stallions thus affected shoidd be dis- 
carded for breeding purposes. When not hereditary, the causes are 
quite diversified, but are principally sprains, bruises, the extension 
of disease from an adjoining part, and bad shoeing. 

Symptoms. — In the acute stage, or while the ring-lione is actuallv 
forming, the lameness will vary accordingtothe situation of thetrouble. 
].5 



22G 



TPIE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



In low ring-bone, the joint being involved, the lameness will be severe, 
but less so when the trouble is higher up, in which location they also 
yield more readily to ti'eatment. If, as sometimes occurs in the 
early part of the disease, no enlargement is to be seen, the diagnosis 
becomes difficult ; but even in these cases the horse will evidence 
pain on flexing the joint; in trotting, the heel is the part of the foot 

that he places first on the ground, and 
there is an unmistakable stiffness 
of movement shown. 

The products of the inflammation 
readily change to bone, and there is 
formed a ring of callus, as seen in 
the repair of fractures, and then the 
joint becomes 
ankylosed, the 
articulating 
faces are ab- 
sorbed, and a 
stiff joint re- 
sults. Should 
the ring-bones 
interfere with 
the movements 
of thetendons, 
all hopes of a 
cure are at an 
end. High 
ring-bones, af- 
ter cure, are 
much less li- 
able to cause 
trouble than 

Affecting the lower joint, which 
the low, which, is liable to become stittCau^y- 
, . loscd). 

owing to their 

more important position, may cause trouble on the slightest prov- 
ocation, b}^ interfering with the tendons and joints. 

Treatment. — Unhappily, the first si age of the disease is generally al- 
lowed to pass before treatment is thought of. At this stage all that 
is necessary is to reduce the local fe\er, by means of Cooling Lotion 





HIGH raNG-BONE. 

Not Ijeing- close to the lower joint, the latter 
is not nearly so much alf ccted as in low ring- 
bone. 



LOW KING-BONE. 



INJUKIES AND RESULTANT DISEASES OF THE BONES. 



227 



No. 4, or Soothing Lotion No. 3. When the bone formations com- 
mence, vigorons measures, in the line of counter-irritation, are re- 
quired. Use the firing-iron, and afterwards apply Mixed Blister No. 
10, or Fly Blister No. 7. 

VI. Side-Bones. 

Side-bones are bony or lini}^ deposits formed on the lateral carti- 
lages of the foot. These cartilages are small pieces of gristle at- 
tached to the wings of the pedal bone. On pressing over the heels 
with the hand, the}' 
may, in health, be 
felt to bend, while 
in disease they are 
rigid, and in addi- 
tion sometimes as- 
sume enormous pro- 
portions. 

Causes. — This is 
an ailment principal- 
ly found in heavy, 
coarse-bred horses, 
as a consequence of 
bruises or similar in- 
juries. Another and very different cause is this : when the frog comes 
in contact with the ground, these lateral cartilages are brought into 
play, and kept in healthful condition, but by non-use, such as results 
from wearing the high-heeled shoe, they are turned to bone. 

Symptoms. — Side-bones frequently appear without any outward 
signs of inconvenience; but in the majority of cases there will be 
more or less stiffness of action. Where the growth interferes with 
the tendons, etc , the case will generally prove incurable. 

Treatment. — If there is any visible cause, such as corns, bad shoe- 
ing, or the like, try to remove it as soon as possible. Eeduce the 
local fever by cold applications, and if the lameness persists, use the 
firing-iron, followed by either Blister No. 10 or No, 11, 




LAKGE SIDE-BONKS. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

FRACTURES. 



I. CONCERNING FRACTURES IN GENERAL. II. HOW A BROKEN BONE UNITES 

OR "KNITS." III. BROKEN LIMBS. IV. CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF 

SLINGS, ETC. V. FRACTURE OK THE SKULL. VI. FRACTURE OF THE 

UPPER JAW. VII. FUACTUKE OF THE LOWKR JAW. VIII. FRACTURE 

OF THE SPINE. IX. BKOKEN RIBS. X. FRACTURES OF THE PELVIS. 

XI. FRACTUUKS OF THE FORK LEGS. XII. FRACTURES OF THE HIND LEGS. 

I. Concerning Fractures in General. 

Fractured, or in couniion language broken, bones are of frequent 
occurrence auiong horses. Fractures, of course, are commonly the 
result of external injuries, as falls and blows. There are some dis- 
eases also in Avliich 
the bones become 
brittle, and the same 
injuries are sustained 
from sheer inability 
to sustain the natural 
weight of the body. 
The bones of the old 
in the brute creation, 
the same as in the 
human, are more li- 
able to break than 
those of the young, 
owing to their larger 
proportion of earthy 
matter, and smaller 
share of the animal matter, Avhich in the young, of whatever species, 
jrives to the bones a certain decree of elasticitv. Excessive iiiuscu- 
lar action is another cause of fractures, as of the back and the small 
sessamoid bones at the back of the fetlock joint. From just this 
cause many a prominent favorite of the turf has been ruined, perhaps 
even condcnnied to an untimely death. 

228 




SIMPLE FRACTURE OF LOWER JAM^ 

(Engraved for this work from a Photograph.) 



FEACTURES. 



229 



Kinds of Fracture. — Fractures are divided into two great classes, 
namely, the simple, which are those in which the skin is not broken, 
and the compound, or those which also show an opening in the skin, 
produced \yy the cause of the fracture, or by the end of the bone pro- 
truding through the tense drawing action of the surrounding muscles, 
or the weio'ht thrown on the broken limb. These 
two classes are found to vary greatly in extent. 
In a "complete" fracture the bone is broken 
clear across; in an "incomplete" or "green- 
stick" fracture, it is broken onl}^ in part, and is 
bent or crooked, resembling the break of a 
green stick. Fractures also vary in their direc- 
tion, the most common forms being transverse, 
oblique and longitudinal, the others being of 
much less frequent occurrence. Besides the 
preceding, there are other distinctions in frac- 
tures. A "comminuted" fracture is one where 
the bone is broken in several pieces. A "com- 
plicated" fracture occurs when some important 
organ or part is involved in the injury, such as 
a joint, the lungs, intestines, etc. 

II. How a Broken Bone Unites, or Knits. 

The idea is very prevalent that the broken 
limbs of an animal do not unite as readily as in 
the human body, but this is erroneous. The 
great trouble in effecting a union of the bones 
in the lower animals is the poor facilities for 
keeping the ends in proper contact. The poor 
sufferer must stand, and this is not a favorable 
position ; besides, he is apt to fret and worry at 
being kept in a restrained position, and in 
moving round to somehow undo or loosen 
the bandages. In the case of open wounds, in 
which the bone is exposed, the pus formed makes healing a difficult 
thing, and tlie animal suffers severely. 

After a fracture, there is an exudation of lymph from the blood- 
vessels into the tissues around, and this, at the end of two or three 
weeks, has been gradually turned to cartilage or gristle, forming a 




FKACTIKE THAT HAS 
UNITKl). 

Showinff the Ciillns. 



230 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

ring around the outside, and another around the inside of the broken 
ends. This cartihige is next and gradually converted into bone, and 
is called a callus-, it acts as a bandage on the ends, holding them 
firmly in position while union is taking place within. After the 
bones have joined, the callus being of no further use, it is absorbed 
by the vessels. This occurs in from six to twelve months, but there 
is generally some trace of the callus left, enough of it to be felt as a 
small ridge. 

False Joints. — False joints sometimes occur. These are where the 
edges do not unite properly, and when the inflamed condition sub- 
sides, the limb is found to be movable at the break without any pain. 
Dogs are frequently seen with false joints, from their habit of eating 
off the bandages, allowing motion of the limb. 

III. Broken Limbs. 

How to Recognize a Brol<en Leg. — The limb will be noticed as 
hanging helpless, or very nearly so ; in some cases it is shortened by 
the ends of the bones becoming displaced, and slipping past each 
other through the drawing power of the muscles. On taking hold of 
the limb, it is found to move in any direction. The ends of the bones 
will be felt to move on each other, and in most cases a harsh, oratinof 
sound can be detected, from their rubbing together. There will also 
be some swelling from injury of the vessels. 

Setting a Brol<en Leg. — When a fracture has occurred, the first 
step is to secure the limb in a favorable position, and prevent exten- 
sion of the mischief, as in some cases a simple fracture has been 
changed to a compound one. For this reason it is ver}^ advisable 
to place in some sort of a sling. (For Slings, etc., see next section 
of this chapter.) It is important to "set" the bone as early as pos- 
sible, as swelling may occur, and interfere greatlj^ with reduction. 
Hence, baiuhiges and splints are always used to keep the ends of the 
bones together, and prevent motion. It is very important to have 
the splint long enough to include the joints above and below. To 
apply the splint, first wrap the leg in a layer of cotton batting, which 
will allow of some swelling, and keep the limb from rubbing. Then 
cut some strong muslin in strijos of the necessary width (generally 
about two and one-half inches), and roll them into coils, at the same 
time thoroughly rubbing on powdered plaster of Paris. Tliose band- 
ages are then soaked in warm Avater, the surplus wrung out, and then 



FRACTtJRES. 231 

they are wrapped around the leg, till a good strong support has been 
applied. Between the layers there is usually some stifferand stronger 
substance placed, such as leather, a thin strip of wood, tin, or gutta- 
percha. Instead of the plaster of Paris, before mentioned, there 
may be used such things as starch, glue, or isinglass, if more readily 
procurable. When great swelling occurs, the bandage may be cut 
down the front, e3^elets inserted, and laces used to tighten it up. 

Treatment of Compound Fractures. — When the fracture is com- 
pound, the wound and its surroundings should have the hair removed 
and be thoroughly washed, and the wound be syringed out with Anti- 
septic Solution No. 1, or with the following: 

No. 13. Corrosive sublimate, 15 grains. 

Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 

Any loose bone or tissues will have to be removed. The bandages 
are applied the same as for a simple fracture, an opening, however, 
being left over the wound, as it will have to be dressed daily with 
solutions, as just mentioned. The wound must be closed by cotton 
batting and a bandage, the object being to secure a speedy union, 
thus turning the compound cases into simple ones. 

Treatment of False Joints. — False joints are not easily cured, and 
should never be tampered with by a novice, as they sufficiently tax 
the skill and patience of the most accomplished veterinarian. The 
process is to set up an inflammation between the ends of the bones 
by inserting threads between them, or scraping the ends of the bones 
by some special instrument. After the bones have properly united, 
it is necessary to allow exercise for a few months. These cases are 
frequently fired with the hot iron, or blistered, but of these practices 
we cannot approve; they are needlessly cruel. 

IV. Construction and Use of Slings, Etc. 
In this country a great many persons have never seen ahorse with a 
broken leg, although accustomed to horses all their lives ; and should 
this -casualty befall one of their own stock, at least four-fifths of them 
would give up the case in utter discouragement, and suffer the animal 
to be killed forthwith. It is a great mistake to suppose that nothing 
can be done for such a horse. If the proper measures are adopted 
promptly, he may, generally, be saved. The sling cannot be dis- 
pensed with in treating a compound fracture, as without it (or a 
frame of some kind to answer the same purpose more rudely), noth- 



232 



THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



ing could keep the horse from lying clown on his side; and even in a 
simple fracture he would generally do that from weariness, after 
standing on three legs from sixty to ninety hours. If the horse is 
still on his feet, and near the stable, he may be led into it, and a 
couple of very strong hooks put into the beam above, or into the 
sides of his stall, if strong enough, and the sling suspended to these 
on either side. 

The engraving conveys a good idea of a sling complete in all its 
parts ; but one of simpler construction will answer the purpose when 
one so elaborate cannot be had. It may be made of either bagging 




SLING FOR HORSE WITH BROKEN LEG. 

In one minor i)aiticular the artist is wrong; the iujiired le^ with splint ami bandages on, 
should be straight, instead of bent. , 

or sail cloth. Four yards of the cloth will be sufBcient. Sew the 
ends of the cloth together very strongly. This, when d()ul)le(l, will 
be about six feet in length. Get two round sticks of hard, strong 
wood, and put through the cloth ; to these attach strong r-'pes, fastened 
to each end of the sticks, so that they will each lia\e a, rope ex- 
tending from one end to the other. Each rope should l)c al)out six 
feet in the loop between the ends of the stick, and so tied that it can- 
not slide either way. Let the sling thus arranged be put under the 
horse, and then another rope be carried tlirough the oue attached to 
the ends of the stick, and through a rmii; on the hook at the sides of 



FRACTUEES. 233 

the stable; let the rope be carried around twice, and first drawn up 
and fastened on one side and then on the other, until it raises the 
horse's body about two inches, and yet so that he can stand on his 
feet. He will very soon learn to rest his body on the sling, when his 
fore-leg becomes very tired. He must be hitched to the front by a 
good, strong halter, so that he cannot pull back, and throw himself 
out of the sling. He will not have room to do so forward, on account 
of the manger. If it is his fore-leg that is fractured, he will try to 
throw himself backward; but if the hind one, he will incline for- 
ward. In either case he must be prevented. 

The Frame. — Dr. Stewart recommends resort to the frame when 
the horse is found lying too far from the stable to move him into that, 
"A kind of gallows may be constructed very readily by locking rails 
or poles together, after the manner of fixing a quick gallows upon 
which to hang slaughtered hogs, with which every farmer is well ac- 
quainted. It will take eight poles and four chains. These must be 
so arranged as to stand on both sides of the horse, and in each of 
these couples large heavy poles should be laid, which should be about 
fourteen feet lono- and elevated about eioht feet above the oround. 
When this frame is ready, which can be erected in some two or three 
hours, the assistance of five or six men will be required to raise the 
horse. Neighbors are always ready to assist in such a case. 

"Now let the sling be brought, prepared as already described, and 
be placed under the horse's body, and the ropes carried over the poles, 
which should be about six feet apart, and so braced with other poles, 
lashed across the ends, that they cannot be drawn together. Let one 
man stand at his head and another at his tail, and at least two on each 
side to lift, and one at the end of each rope to hold all that is gained. 
It will require heavy lifting to raise him, and strong efforts on the 
part of the men at his head and tail to keep him from pitching. 
When he is raised part way up, and can begin to use his feet, he will 
try to raise himself, and a strong pull at the rope will quite easily 
bring him to a standing position. He will, in all probability, be a 
little restive for a time, and trj^ to get away from his fasteninijs, but 
must be held and made fast by a strong halter in front, and a bar 
firmly fixed behind. A roof must be made to protect him from the 
weather, and a stand fixed in front, with a box on it, for him to feed 
in. Ditches should be dug around to carry the water awav from his 
place of standing, and keep it dr}'.'" 



234 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

The Rail Pen. — Still another arrangement can be made when the 
frame and sling cannot easily be procured. It is what Dr. Stewart 
calls simply "the rail pen," and recommends highly as a quick way 
of raising any disabled horse to his feet. He says: *'A11 that is 
needed, besides the rails, is three strong planks and five or six men. 
The planks should be not less than one and a half inches in thick- 
ness, and at least ten feet long, and they, are to be put under the an- 
imal's body so that they shall project equally on each side. On the 
planks should be spread first some hay or straw, and then an old blan- 
ket or quilt, or some carpeting, as a pad for the body to rest on. 
This requires especial care in certain diseases where the belly is very 
tender and sore. AVhen this has been done, and plenty of rails are 
at hand, the preparations are complete. There should now be one 
man for each plank, another to handle the rails, and two to stand at 
the animal's head and hold him still by the bridle. Let the ends of 
the planks be raised on one side, and a rail laid under them about 
one foot from the ends of the plank, the rail being so placed that they 
shall be about the middle of it. Then raise the other ends of the 
planks in the same way. End rails can now be laid on, so as to .be 
ready to raise the planks again. 

"In this way, as the pen is gradually built up, the horse is raised 
along with it. When part way up, it is very likely he may struggle 
considerably, the position in that stage being novel and somewhat un- 
comfortable ; but he must be held by the bridle as still as the two men 
at the head can hold him, and the pen raised to its proper height as 
soon as possible. This height, of course, should be such that the 
feet will touch the ground, and may be rested upon, if the horse is 
disposed to do so. The rails of the pen must be carried up still 
higher in front and behind, and be placed close to the hip and breast, 
so as to prevent the animal from surging back and forth on the 
planks. Lastly, heavy pieces of timber may be placed on the pen, 
in front and behind, to hold it firmly, and strong stakes driven down 
at each corner of the pen, which, by these means, will be so well se- 
cured that no movement will be possible. The horse may be hitched 
by a halter to a post in front, and some planks being laid on the rails 
at the same place, a platform will be formed on which a feeding-box 
may be placed. 

"Such a piece of work will cost the owner perhaps ten dollars, and 
consume one day of his time; but, besides saving the horse's life, it 



FRACTURES. 235 

will be worth fifty dollars in the practical experience gained. The 
contrivance may be applied in a variety of cases, which many 
farmers, destitnte of the enterprise necessary for so simple a task, 
would give up as hopeless from the outset. In cases of broken legs, 
I have often seen this contrivance, though rude, save a valuable horse," 

V. Fracture of the Skull. 

We will now pass to wdiat the practitioner calls special fractures ; 
and, first, those of the skull. These are of rare occurrence, and then 
from falls, or it may be from hard blows on the head. They are va- 
riable in the results of treatment, according to the part and extent of 
the injury. When there is any depression of the bones on to the 
brain, the chances for recover}^ are very poor. 

Manifestations. — There are usually some marks of injury on the 
skin covering the part, and a painful swelling there. When the bones 
are depressed, cerebral hemorrhage nearly always takes place from 
lacerated blood-vessels ; the usual symptoms of compression of the 
brain follow, leading on shortly to paralysis ; and m these cases there 
is practically no hope. 

Treatment. — This wdll consist principally in the application of cold 
to the infiamed parts. Any pieces of loose bone should be removed, 
and the wound dressed with the Antiseptic Solution No. 1, or No, 13. 
When the bone is depressed, the veterinary surgeon sometimes 
achieves success by elevating the depressed pieces by means of a 
lever, to insert which he may find it necessary to cut out a small piece 
of the bone. 

The bones of the face are oftener fractures than those of the skull, 
and, fortunately, the treatment is generally productive of more fa- 
vorable results. 

VI, Fracture of the Upper Jaw. 

The forward part of the upper jaw is liable to fracture in different 
directions. It maybe in what is called the symphysis, or junction of 
the two sides, in front, or the shaft of the bone may be involved, 
in either of which cases the teeth may be loosened and fall out. The 
treatment will consist, first, in removing loose bone and teeth, and 
next the adoption of suitable measures to prevent movement, which 
is far less difiicult than in the lower jaw; it may be accomplished by 
binding copper wire around the teeth, and the use of bandages. 



236 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



VII. Fracture of the Lower Jaw. 

Fractures occur much more frequeutl}^ in the lower than in the 
upper jaw, and may be in either a transverse, oblique or longitudinal 
direction. The teeth are frequently loosened and fall out. Our en- 
graving will exphiin everj^thing at a glance, a a, the median line 
of union, or symphysis; b a, line of oblique fracture: h h, line of 
transverse fracture; c c, line of transverse fracture. 

Causes. — External violence, heavy blows, falls, kicks from other 
horses, etc. They have also been seen in pulling 
horses. 

Manifestations. — There is nearly always a 
dribbling of saliva, mixed perhaps with l)lood, 
from injuries of the gums. Crepitation ( a slight 
crackling sound) may be detected from the rub- 
bing of the bones together. In fractures through 
the neck of the bone, as shown in the figure on 
page 228, there will be a dropping of the front 
part of the jaw, from loss of muscular control 
over it, and there will be the greatest difficulty 
in getting the food into the mouth. 

Treatment. — This will consist in removing au}^ 
broken bone and loose teeth. When the fracture 
is through the symphysis, it is often sufficient to 
wind copper wire around the front teeth (the in- 
cisors). When through the neck of the bone, it 
is difficult to keep the ends from moving; as a 
result the teeth will not come completely together, 
and on that account the animal will not be lit to 
turn on pasture. Various apparatuses have been 
devised for preventing motion, and among them that of jNIr. Walker, 
V. S., the one shown in the illustration, is undoubtedly good. But 
the simplest method is to place a splint of gutta percha, leather, or the 
like, below the jaws, and to bind up the whole head with the starch 
or plaster of Paris bandages, in the manner before described for set- 
ting a broken limb. In this way all movement of the jaws may be 
effectually prevented. The splint is to be left on from two to three 
wrecks, the animal being fed, meanwhile, on fluid diet, such as milk, 
gruel, etc. If the horse is unable or unwilling to take this sort of 
nourishment in any other way, it will he no great trouble to inject it 
into the mouth oi' rectum bv nutans of a syringe. 




THE LOWER JAW. 

Tlie lettering indicates the 
(litferent directions wliich 
fractures may talie. 



FRACTURES. 



237 



Fortunately, a fracture of either jaw is a rare occurrence among 
horses on the farm. It is troublesome to feed a horse suffering from 
this injury, but "where there is a will there is a way." It can be 




WALKEll'S CRADLE FOR FRACTURE OF THE LOWER JAW. 

At A there is a piece, which enter/, the month, and rests in tlio teeth. Tliis greatly aids in 
. steadying- the brolien bone. 

done, if there is a mind to it : and the animal will often take to his 
diet of "slops" more kindly than was anticipated. 



238 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



' VIII. Fracture of the Spine. 

Fractures of the vertebral column are not of ver}^ frequent occur- 
rence ; still, many cases of old broken backs that have healed are found 
after death, in horses that have never been suspected as suffering 
from so severe an injury. When these injuries do occur, they are usu- 
ally the result of falls, and are found principally in the back and loins. 
In the great majority of cases, the broken ends are displaced, and 
press on the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis 
of the parts back of the injury. Occasionall}^, 
however, there is no displacement of the bone, 
and the aninud manages to rise and walk for a 
short distance, though not without great dif- 
ficulty. 

Treatment. — Where the bone is displaced, 
and the resultant paralysis is marked, no treat- 
ment can possibly avail ; but there is a chance 
of recovery in those cases in which the horse can rise and walk a little, 
and for such the treatment consists in keeping him as near absolutely 
quiet as possible, preventing movement by securing the head, and 
placing the feed at a convenient level. 

IX. Broken Ribs. 




FRACTURE OF THE SPINE. 




THE RIBS, VERTEBRA. ETC. 



a — The first rib. 

ft_The cartilages of the eleven hinaerinosl, ov faUe. ribs, connected together, and 
uniting with that of the seventh or last true rib. 

c — The breast-bone, or sternum. 

d— The top, or point, of the withers, which are formed by the lengthened spi- 
nous, or upright, ])rocesses of the first ten or eleven bones of the back. The 
bones of the back {dorsal vertebra') arc eight(MMi in number. 

c—The ribs, usually eiglitcen on each side; the first seven united to the breast- 
bone by cartilage; the cartilages of the remaining eleven united to each 
other, as at b. 



FRACTURES. 239 

f — TLiat portion of the spine where the loins commence, and composed of six bones 

(the lumbar vertebrae), 
g — The bones forming the hip, or haunch, and into the hole at the bottom of 

which the head of the thigh-bone is received. 
h — The portion of the spine (the sacrum) belonging to the haunch, and consisting 

of five pieces. 
i — The bones of the tail, usually seventeen in number. 

The ribs are liable to fracture, from blows, falls, collisions, and 
similar violence; more especially the ribs just back of the shoulder- 
blade, these being the more promment ones, and, therefore, more 
exposed. 

Manifestations. — The effects of a broken rib are very variable. In 
exceptional cases, it may give rise to no manifestations by which it 
may be recognized, the animal performing his usual work ; but as a 
general thing there is at least some swelling, with pain and difficulty 
of breathing. Where there is displacement of the ends of the bone, 
the complications are apt to prove serious, and very frequently fatal. 
In these severe cases, it will be found that the pleura (the membrane 
which lines the chest), or even the lungs, have been cut and torn by 
the ends of the broken bones, the result being inflammation of the 
acutest type (pleurisy). One case that the writer especially recalls 
was a horse that had been "stove up" in a collision, a buggy shaft 
having penetrated the chest, breaking two ribs, and allowing the es- 
cape of the contained air; the collapse of the lung followed, and 
finall}^ death inside of an hour. 

Treatment. — These conditions are best treated by rest, as move- 
ment may extend the injury. When the bone's broken ends are dis- 
placed, they must be returned to their natural position as soon as 
possible. This is comparatively easy when the displacement is 
outward, but if inward, it will be necessary to use a lever under the 
broken ends. Bandages of starch or plaster of Paris are then to be 
wound tightly around the chest, and left on for three weeks. The 
horse must not be allowed to lie down, the head being tied high up. 

X. Fractures of the Pelvis. 

The pelvis, composed of three bones (ilium, ischium and pubis), 
from the prominent position which it occupies in relation to the hind 
parts, is subject to fractures, which, however, vary widely in degrees 
of seriousness. The point of the hip (spine of the ilium) is fre- 
quently fractured by different accidents, and sometimes the neck of 



240 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



the same bone. In either of these injuries there is a dropping of the 
point, with stiffness or inability to move. In some cases, on getting 
the horse to limp a step or two, the grating sound of broken bones 
rubbing together may be heard. 

The pubic bone (see engraving on page 145) is liable to fractures, 
which may be complicated by injuries of the bladder, blood-vessels, 
nerves, etc., and are commonly very serious in their nature. 

The ischium may be fractured in different parts — in some cases sep- 
arated at the junction of the two halves, from slipping; this causes 
an extraordinary degree of straddling, with other evidences of great 
pain. The prominence wdiich may be noticed in this bone behind, 
is often fractured, and the cap is then said to "knocked off," The 
injury last mentioned is not of a serious character, but after union 
there is apt to be a deformity of some sort, which 
may best be seen from the side, the quarters be- 
ing uneven. In some cases permanent lameness 
may ensue. 

Treatment of Pelvic Fractures. — Agoodrule 
to follow, wdien a fracture is suspected, is to place 
the aninlal in a sling, and impose perfect rest. 
Few cases of pelvic fractures can be expected to 
do very well, and if any organs or important 
vessels are injured, the best course is to put a 
bullet through the brain, and end all suffering at once. When treat- 
ment is decided on, quiet of the part should be secured and main- 
tained by the use of the slings, as before described in this chapter. 
If the injured part is back at the rear, any form of stiff bandage, 
similar to that showai in the above cut, will be of great benefit. 

XI. Fractures of the Fore-leg. 

Broken Shoulder-blade.— The scapula, or shoulder-blade, is at 
times fractured fi'om some one of a variety of causes. The spine, or 
prominence on the middle of the outer surface, may be broken off by 
a kick or other injury ; but this seldom gives any trouble in treat- 
ment. Fractures of the body of the scai)ula -.wv likely to be of such 
a serious nature as not to re[)ay treatuienl. In some cases they may 
involve the shoulder-joint, eventuating in a, stiff joint after recovery. 
Such an ankvlosed joint, as it appears on dissection, is well repre- 
sented in our engraving at top of the next page. 




iJli 

BANDAGE FOR THE HIF. 



FKACTURES. 



241 




Broken Arm. — The humerus (see "Skeleton of the Horse" on page 
145) is the strongest bone in the body, and, as might be expected, 

has a hirge number of 
very powerful muscles 
attached to it; for 
Mdiich reason, a com- 
plete fracture of the 
humerus is but rarely 
treated, as the tense 
action "of the muscles 

'^lio^Miit, the bony foi-mation by which the two pull the divided eucls 
bonc« have been united, and us a consequence j, ,, ^ , . , 

the joint has been made stiff. OI tlie bOUe apart. With 

such force as to forbid 
the hope of bringing and knitting them together. 

Broken Ulna. — The ulna bone at the point of the elbow, ow- 
ing to its prominent position, is subject to fractures from vi- 
olence. When it is the upper part that is injured, repair may gener- 
ally be effected by using splints from the foot 
to the shoulder. When lower down, involving 
the elbow-joint, the case becomes ver}^ serious, 
and even if the animal is saved, he is extremely 
likely to have a stiff joint. 

Broken Radius. — The radius maybe broken, 
oftener than from anything else by the horse 
jumping a high fence. It is not very readily 
treated, but when handled by an expert veter- 
inarian, the application of the splint from the 
foot up to the shoulder will often result favor- 
ably. 

Broken Knee. — The carpus, or knee, con- 
sists of eight bones, all more or less subject to 
fracture, from falls, blows, etc., and usually 
marked by a very severe form of inflammation. 
This is best treated by cooling lotions, as pre- 
scribed for the treatment of inflammation in 
Chapter XIV. The object sought, in treating 
these cases, is to obtain an ankylosis of the 
bones involving the joint. This, when at the 
lower part, is not necessarily a very serious result, but when high, and 
thus involving the true joint, stiffness is to be expected after the 
ir. 




STIFF OR ANKYLOSED 
KNKE. 

Showing the bony formation by 
which ankylosis has been ef- 
fected. 



242 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



best cure possible. In this connection the reader is referred to "Open 

Joints," in Chapter XXI. 

Other Bones of the Fore-leg. — The metacarpus, or cannon bone, 

is probably the bone most frequently fractured in the whole body, 
this being due to its exposed position. When 
no joint is involved, there is good reason to ex- 
pect success from the proper treatment, which 
will be to apply splints as directed for simple 
fractures, in Section III of this chapter. 

The OS suffraginis, or upper pastern, is fre- 
quently fractured, but b}^ apposition of the ends 
is readily united. The same may be said of 
fractures of the os coronce, or lower pastern, es- 
pecially in the case of young horses. The pe- 
dal bones are much less exposed to fractures ; 
yet, by treads, the pyramidal process at the 
front and upper border of the hoof is at times 
broken. When this happens, there is com- 
monly a wound, the joint being so superficial 
that it is wounded very easil3^ This makes a 
bad complication, for the treatment of which see 
^^ "Open Joints," in a following chapter. 




SHOE WITH IRON EXTEN- 
SION. 



XII. rractures of the Hind Leg. 

Broken Thigh-bone. — The femur, or thigh- 
The extension constitutes one boue, wlicu fructurcd through the shaft, is past 
kind of a splint. _^^^ treatment, the tremendously powerful mus- 

cles of the leg serving to continually pull the ends of the bone apart. 
If, however, the fracture is of the tuberosity, or projection from the 
head of the femur, it is most readily repaired, by placing in slings for 
six or eight weeks, and allowing rest. 

Broken Knee-cap.— Only rarely is the patella, or knee-cap, frac- 
tured. It may l)c repaired, in young animals, by keeping the l)roken 
parts togctiier. 

Broken Tibia. — The tibial bone, between the stifle and liock, is 
broken in nniny accidents, and here again flic powerful action of the 
muscles makes treatment difficult, and forbids the expectation of very 
good results. 



FRACTURES. 



243 



Broken Hock. — The bones of the hock-joint are liable to fracture 
from the same causes that those of the knee-joint are. The situation 
as to whether high or low, is what determines the 
probable chance of a cure. There is strong likeli- 
hood of ankylosis, and when in the upper part the 
resultant stiffness is generall}^ great. In the accom- 
panying engraving is shown a spavin, which prob- 
ably weakened the leg, and by increasing the an- 
imal's liability to slip may, perhaps, have indirectly 
been the cause of fracture. 

The point of the hock is at times broken off, and 
proves a very difficult part to mend. Several con- 
spicuously large muscles, and among the number the 

muscles, have their ten- 




well known "ham-string 



FRACTVTtK OF THE 

HOCK. 



dons inserted in this region, causing a great deal This is shown at 7. At 

'"ill- ^ ^^ shown a spavin. 

of displacement. vV hen the break is low down on 

this projection, the repairing process is very liable to leave some bony 

deposits that will interfere with the action of the hock-joint. 

To repair these breaks, the bone must be placed in apposition, and 
well padded in this position with cotton first, and outside of this a 
cap of leather or gutta percha ; over all must be used the plaster of 
Paris or other bandage, as already directed. 

The bones below the hock are subject to the same injuries as those 
in the fore-leg, which have already been treated of. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 



I. NAIL WOUNDS. II. COKNS. III. BRUISES OF THE &OLE. IV. TREADS. 

V. OVER-REACHING, OR GRABBING. VI. FORGING. OR CLICKING. — — 

VII. QUITTOR, OR FISTULA OF THE FOOT. VIII. CONTRACTED HKELS OR 

HOOF. IX. SAND-CRACK, OR CRACKED HOOF. ^ X. FALSE QUARTER. 

XI. THRUSH. XII. CANKER. XIII. FOUNDER. XIV. HORNY TUBIOR 

OF THE WALL, OR KERATOMA. XV. NAVICULAR DISEASE. 

I. Nail Wounds. 

Nail wounds are of very frecjiieiit occurrence among horses, and es- 
peciall}^ in cities, from picking up nails in traveling, or similar ac- 
cidents; also from carelessness in the shoeing shop, by punching the 
nail holes crooked, and driving the nails poorly, so that they either 
enter the sensitive tissues or are placed so close to them as to cause 
painful pressure from the bulging horn. Some hors.e-shoers can 
hardly put on a shoe without driving one or more nails into the sen- 
sitive part of the foot, and seem to think it all right, provided that, 
when the animal flinches, they are extracted and driven in almost any- 
where else. Another cause of these wounds is the use of a jjoor qual- 
ity of nails, which splinter sometimes in driving. These last are apt 
to be a very serious class of cases. 

A nail wound ought never to be neglected. Aside from the danger 
of lockjaw, Avhich none can ever feel absolutely secure against, there 
are serious ills lurking, possibly, in the train of even a slight injury 
'from this cause. As illustrating the evil results of a neglected nail 
Avound, we mention a case that we have just treated in St. Louis, 
while writing this book, in September, 1892. In this case a large 
nail entered the sole near the point of the frog, puncturing the navic- 
ular joint. The animal worked for five days, at light hauHng. as 
usual, then became very lame, and Avhen we were called in on the 
ninth day, pus had broken out at the heel. In treating this case it 
was found necessary to remove the whole frog and sole, and thor- 
oughl}^ expose the diseased parts. The parts are growing again, and 
will be as sound as ever, but the navicular joint will always be stiff, 
from the action of filth which gained entrance to it, with the nail, when 

the wound was received. 

244 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 245 

Manifestations. — The effect of a nail wound will depend on what 
part of the foot has been injured. A picked or gathered nail is gen- 
erally found along the region of the frog, near the point of which the 
most serious result may be expected. As the sole just here is very 
thin, the nail is very liable to injure the bone, and even the navicular 
joint. In wounds around the posterior part of the frog, there is very 
frequently no inconvenience after the nail has been extracted. At 
times nails apparently a great distance in the foot are found to have 
entei'ed in a slanting direction, and onl}^ injured the crust. 

When it is a case of poorly driven nails, the animal's lameness 
commonly tells the tale in a very short time, though occasionally 
lameness has not shown itself for several weeks. Of these dilatory 
cases a large proportion are those in which the toe is the part af- 
fected. After bad shoeing the foot will be found hot, and on tap- 
ping or pinching it over the faulty nail the animal will flinch unmis- 
takabl}' ; in some cases he will try to walk on the opposite side of the 
foot. On removing the shoe, the faulty nail will generall}^ be found 
to have discolored the horn around the hole. 

Neglected nail wounds are apt to suppurate ; the pus burrows in 
the direction of least resistance, and the outcome is a separation of 
the wall or sole. Ultimately the j)us appears at some 'W'^ak spot, gen- 
erally at the coronet or the region of the frog, and then there is es- 
tablished a case of quittor. 

Treatment. — As soon as the trouble is discovered, remove the 
shoes, and pare the nail w^ound to the sensitive parts, for which pur- 
pose the sage knife is most useful. It is shown in the accomi)anying 
cut. In many cases nothing more is required, except to pour a little 
turpentine into the hole. Where, however, much lameness is ev- 




SAGE KNIFE. 

idenced, soak the foot for half an hour in hot water, and afterwards 

apply a hot poultice, to be renewed when cooled. If pus has formed 

and burrowed under the sole or frog, the undermined parts must all 

be removed, (as they will not grow together again), and the fresh 

surface dressed with tow soaked in the following mixture : 

No. 15. Blue-stone (blue vitriol), 1 part. 

Oil of tar, 4 parts. 

Mix. 



246 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

When the pus gathers at the coronet and bursts, then the case has 

become a quittor, and is to be treated accordingly. (See Section VII, 

of this chapter.) 

II. Corns. 

These are the bane of horse flesh, and it might be added that they are 
the result of civilization, as among unshod animals they are rare indeed. 
A corn is a bruise of the sensitive structures at the inner or outer 
heel of any of the feet, but is seen more commonly on the inner side of 
the front feet. It is something not to be neglected with impunity, 
for there is a possibility of its developing in a disease that may ex- 
tend to the bones, and eventuate in caries or ulceration. 

Causes. — A predisposing cause of corns in many cases is the shape 
of the foot, such as the flat, thin sole, or the quarter thick and 
straight. Among other causes the most common are bad shoeing, 
the shoe being put on so as to press on the heel, or the heel cut down 
too far, and from oTavel workino; under the shoe. Corns are alwavs 

7 ■ */ 

to be regarded as constituting an unsoundness. 

Symptoms. — As a consequence of the bruise, blood appears in the 
horn substance, staining it a red color; but the exact tinge will vary, 
according to the duration of the trouble, from a yellowish to a dark red 
color. In heels unusually perpendicular it may be necessary to cut 
deep down before finding any discoloration. 

The weather has a great effect on a corn. In cold weather by con- 
tracting, and in warm weather by expanding, the foot, it presses upon 
or, again, distends the sensitive structures, and causes lameness. 

The lameness of corns may ordinarily be seen in both walking and 
trotting; the heels are felt to be dry and hot, and pressure with the 
pincers, or tapping with a hammer, will elicit signs of pain. In 
walking, the weight is likely to be thrown on the opposite side of the < 
foot; in standing the foot wmII be rested on the toe. 

In neglected cases pus is formed, and the inflammation may extend 
and become as severe as to produce caries or ulceration of the bone, 
which makes a case well-nigh incurable. At times the disease results 
in the foi-mation of ((uittor, or of sidebones. 

Treatment. — The first thing to do in treating corns is to remove the 
cansc., which is generally the shoe, and the next is to pare down the 
horn over the bruised surface, and lower the wall at the heel, to relieve 
weight and pressure. If pus is suspected, a good opening must be 
secured for drainage. 7V[)i)ly large iiot flaxseed poultices to the entire 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 247 

foot, renewing them twice dail3^ Where the animal is decidedly 
valuable, do not think of putting him to any work until amply suf- 
ficient time has passed to allow the entire bruise to disappear. In 
subsequent shoeing, keep the pressure off the heels, by lowering the 
neighboring wall, and putting on a three-quarter bar or a full bar 
shoe for several shoeings. 

When there is suppuration, the use of tow and tar retained by a 
leather sole, or the mixture No. 15, combined with the bar shoe, will 
generally effect a cure. Neurotomy (see chapter on Operations) ma}'^ 
be performed in chronic cases, the low operation being the preferable 
one, as it leaves some sensation in the foot. 

III. Bruises of the Sole. 

These are frequent! v seen, especially in thin-soled feet, as a result 
of stepping on stones, or of badly fitting shoes, or burning with a hot 
shoe in fitting, cutting too much sole off, etc. 

Symptoms. — The resultant lameness is seen both in walking and 
trotting, and when the foot touches the ground, particularly where it 
is rough, there will be a great deal of dropping or bobbing of the head 
and front parts. The foot is hot, and pain is evidenced on pinching 
or tapping it. If pus should form under the sole, the resisting hoof 
will cause pressure on the nerves, and so severe will be the suffering 
that the animal will refuse his food, put his nose to his foot, and 
manifestly be in a general state of fever. 

Treatment. — Remove the shoe, pare the sole over the tender spot; 
and if it is a simple bruise, by using hot poultices a favorable result 
is to be expected. If signs of pus are shown, a good opening must 
be made, and in case it is found to have undermined the hoof, all the 
loose horn must be removed. Then apply a hot poultice, and later 
use the mixture No. 15. A bar shoe may be used until the horn re- 
covers its natural state. 

IV. Treads. 

A tread is a cut or bruise of the coronet, from being stepped on by 
the heel of the shoe on the opposite foot, and is mostly seen on the 
hind feet. 

Manifestations. — The cut or swelling of the coronet, combined with 
lameness, is the unmistakable sign. In some cases the blood-vessels 
around the coronet are cut, and bleed profusely. Pus may form, the 
trouble having run on into quittor. The pyramidal process of the 
pedal bone extends, in front, up to the hoof, and, in connection with 



248 TPIE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

treads, is liable to be fractured; and the joint between this bone and 
the lower pastern may be punctured, causing an open joint. These 
complications make the affair a very serious one. 

Treatment. — If much bleeding ensues, bandage the cut with some 
cotton batting soaked in tincture of chloride of iron or Friar's balsam, 
or even, in a hurry, use the dry cotton. When there is simply a pain- 
ful swelling, apply a hot poultice, and if the presence of pus is sus- 
pected, open the lump immediately. The cut thus made may be healed 
by sponging with the following lotion twice a da}^: 

No. 16. Sulphate of zinc. ?4 ounce. 

Acetate of lead, 1 ounce. 
Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix, and shake well before using. 
For the treatment of open joint and quittor, see their separate 

headings. 

V. Over-reaching, or Grabbing. 

This consists of a cut or wound of the coronaiy band of the front 
foot, by over-reaching with the hind foot, it being produced by the 
inner margin of the shoe. 

Treatment. — Cleanse the wound thoroughly, and when the skin is 
badly cut, insert a few stitches. Dress the cut with No. 12 or No. 16. 

VI. Forging, or Clicking. 

This is not a disease, but the result of defective action or of bad 
shoeing. The toe of the hind shoe strikes against the inner side of 
the front shoe, either from the front foot being lifted too slowly, or 
from the hind feet being moved too quickly. The peculiar action 
that produces clicking is sometimes noticed in horses that are tired or 
out of condition, the same animals being free from this defect when 
in health. 

Treatment. — Shoeing i» the usual recourse, but it is worth knowing 
that in many cases the trouble may be removed simply by careful 
diiving, holding the animal in hand, and not forcing him beyond his 
natural gait. Shortening the fron't toe, and turning the toe of the 
shoe up, will be of service; probably the clicking may be stopped by 
setting the hind shoe back, and using the side clips, instead of those 
usually placed in front. But the horn may still strike the front shoe 
and be M^orn away. In some cases the disagreeable noise will con- 
tinue, in spite of almost any expedient to prevent it. 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 24}) 

VII. Quittor, or Fistula of the Foot. 

That quittors are not of such frequent occurrence now as in the 
past, is due, probably, to the better care which is taken of stock. In 
some parts of the country they are much more common than in 
others, A comparison of the eastern cities with the West is, in tliis 
respect, greatlj^ favorable to the latter. Quittor is a fistulous open- 
ing on the swollen coronet, communicating with some irritating sub- 
stance within the foot, such as diseased bone or cartilaoe, or other 
disordered structure. Its discharge of pus is nearly continuous, and 
when, as is often the case, this has minute pieces of bone or cartilage 
mixed with it, it will have the characteristically offensive smell of 
dead bone. 

Causes. — Wounds, bruises, filth, over-reaching, pricks by nails, 
burns by hot shoes, corns, and an}^ inflammatory condition in which 
pus is formed under the hoof, and there retained. 

Symptoms. — Lameness is an invariable accompaniment of quittor, 
but varying in severity, according to the parts involved, whether the 
bones, cartilage, tendons, or the joint. From the opening on the 
swollen coronet there will be the purulent discharge already spoken 
of. On probing the opening, it may sometimes l)e found to sub- 
divide internalljMn several different directions; 
or, again, several external openings may all 
lead to a single centre of irritation. 

Treatment. — This is similar in principle to 
that of all wounds, namely, a removal of the 
cause. In many cases, however, this is aveiy 
difficult thing to do. If due to a corn, cutout 
the heel freely; if to a nail, pare down the 

1 , -r " PI- P A CASE OF QUITTOK. 

hole. In any case secure free drainage from 

the bottom, if possible, and thus cha'no-e the showing Uiree openings on the 
' i ' f^ swollen coronet. 

nature of the wound into a simple one. 

When dead substances act as irritants, they must be removed l)y 

the use of some application or other that will cause them to slough 

out. Many things that have been employed for this purpose arc 

very dangerous, but No. 2 is veiy good, when used once a Aveek ; or 

the following may be substituted, and injected two or three times a 

few days apart, afterwards allowing the horse a good interval of rest. 

No. 17. Chloride of zinc, 2 ounces. 

Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 




250 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Firing with ;i pointed strong wire, heated to white heat and passed 

to the very bottom of the "pipe," is often a very successful mode of 

treatment. 

VIII. Contracted Heel or Hoof. 

In all parts of the country there are numerous cases of contraction 
of the hoof, or narrow heel, as it is popularly called. The shape of 
the hoof is nearly round when the foot is in its natural or healthy 
condition ; but sometimes the hoof becomes elongated, the toe ex- 
tending forward, and the parts toward the heel dropping in together. 

Causes. — It is a prevalent opinion that contraction is the result of 
defective shoeing; but this is certainly a mistake, because otherwise 
the trouble must occur much oftener than it does. This is not itself 
a disease, but merely the result of an unhealthy condition of the feet, 
in many cases due to a loss of moisture, with the consequent drying 
and atrophy of the hoof. Disuse of the frog must also take an im- 
portant position as a cause of "narrow heel," — for instance, wdienthe 
frog is elevated by the use of calks. In many ailments of the hoof, 
conspicuously in navicular disease, contraction is seen as a marked 
symptom. 

Symptoms. — So long as all the parts included within the hoof are 
in their natural state, the hoof will remain natural and solid; but let 
disease commence, no matter how originating, and the parts shrink 
away, the sides of the hoof fall in, and the whole foot becomes mis- 
shapen. The hoof often assumes great irregularity of outline. One 
side may drop in more than the other; the lower parts of the heel 
turn in, or, it may be bend outward; or the toes are elongated beyond 
all i)roportion. The frog will always be found pressed in between the 
bars, and greatl}^ diminished in size. 

Generally, there is some lameness, though its manifestation is fre- 
quently nothing more than a constant uneasiness and shifting from 
one foot to the other, and an unwillingness to exercise, with a stiff or 
stilty gait. ' 

Treatment. — We know of nothing which can properly be called a 
remedy ; contraction will cease when the disease that caused it has 
been cured. Parmg may, perhaps, be of some advantage. Of all 
the forms of shoeing recommended, none are of any certain benefit. 
The kinds most favored are the half shoe and the light slipper. The 
half shoe should come as far back as the anterior part of the bars, 
the balance of the sole resting on the ground. This is on the prin- 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET, 251 

ciple that frog pressure is needed. As to the slipper, it should be made 
narrow at the heel, and come to the point of the same; its outer part 
thin, and the inner edge thick, thus helping to expand by pressure 
outwards on the heels. Various styles of springs have been invented 
for expanding the heels; they are placed inside the shoe and work 
very satisfactorily, the greatest objection to their use being their 
frequent loss in traveling. 

The horse's usefulness is not always essentially impaired by con- 
traction of the hoof. Though incapacitated for rapid motion, he may 
still do very good slow work in the plow or wagon. 

IX. Sand-Crack, or Cracked Hoof. 

This disease is called sand-crack, from the prevalent opinion that 
such cracks occur in sandy regions much oftener than elsewhere. 
Such is not the case, however. This belief has obtained from the 
fact that these cracks are liable to become filled with sand, when they 
are always very troublesome. 

Causes. — Sand-crack is usually the result of a long- 
standing disease and feverish condition of the feet, from 
various causes. The hoof becomes hard, dry and brittle, 
losino; all the elasticity and roughness that belono-s to it 
in health, and by and by it is seen to be cracked open. 

Manifestations, — The fissures may occur in any direc- 
tion, in some cases extending only partially through the 
wall, but in others reaching clear throusfh to the sensitive 
parts, which may, perhaps, fill the spaces, with the result 

n - • "^ 1 1 1,1 T SAND-CRACK. 

or great pam, and more or less bleeding on any move- 
ment of the limbs. The cracks are mostly seen about i" this case it is 

^ at tlie toe. 

the front feet, and on their inner quarters; when the 

hind feet are affected, the spot is generally in the centre. 

Treatment. — If the coronary substance, that which secretes the 
wall of the hoof, is in a healthy condition, pare the edges of the 
crack up to the origin, in the form of a V, as shown in the next illus- 
tration. This will allow a solid growth of hoof. Mild blisters, as 
No. 11, may with advantage be rubbed on the coronet above to aid 
the growth, which will be pretty well completed in about six weeks. 
In case the crack is not in a favorable condition for this treatment, or 
the animal is needed for work, the use of a mechanical device is re- 
quired to keep the fissure closed. Take an ordinary horseshoe nail, 




252 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 




HOW TO PAUE A 
CRACKED HOOF. 



or two or three of them for a large crack, and drive carefully in 
across the opening and clinch the ends. These for most purposes 
answer very well. Or two nails may be driven on 
each side, and a wire wound around the ends. 
Copper plates are sometimes screwed on, but there is 
a drawback to their use, and that is screws are apt 
to be lost. Several very good styles of patented 
plates are likewise in use. 

In shoeing, care must be taken to remove pres- 
sure from the crack, by lowering the wall; and 
when at the toe, have side clips on the shoe. 

X. False Quarter. 

In this, which is a disease of the coronary band, consequent on 
some accident, or as a sequel of quittor, treads, etc., the band, or se- 
creting substance, secretes an imperfect horn incapable of sustaining 
weight. There may be great lameness, and a raw 
surface, in the acute stages ; but soon a sort of 
horny covering is formed, Avhich fills the opening, 
and the animal Avill work thenceforward without 
furtiier trouble. 

Treatment. — False quarter is, as a rule, incur- 
able, in the sense that the genuine hoof will never 
form again; yet a substitute horn is secreted, which will be a good 
protector, and qualify the animal to be worked as usual. When there 
is a raw surface, tow and tar should be used to keep out the dirt, and 
a light blister be applied to the coronet to aid the growth. Our No. 
11 is a good blister for this purpose. Use* a bar shoe for several 
months to distribute the weight. 

XI. Thrush. 

This disease is characterized by a continuous discharge of ver}^ of- 
fensive nnitter from the frog and heel of the foot. The cleft of the 
frog is from one-fourth to one-half an inch in depth. The exudation 
of purulent matter from this region sometimes continues for a long 
time before the inattentive owner becomes aware of it. When thrush 
has an independent existence as a local disease, it is generally the con- 
sequence of standing in a damp, wet stable; or it may be produced 
by injuries of the frog. There is no disease of the horse's foot but 
may be. :iii(l often is, the cause of thrusii. In the great majoritv of 




FALSE 0[)AUTKR. 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 253 

cases it is the result of gross negligence and niismanagement ; it 
would be a rare visitant of our stables if they were kept cleaner and 
dryer. We trust that to few of our readers the following advice will 
be applicable, but those to whom it is, cannot act upon it too 
promptly: — Throw out the great piles of manure that have been ac- 
cumulating in your stable, and in which your horse has been so long 
standing, to the great detriment of his health and vigor, and, in- 
stead, give him a good bed of dry straw or sawdust. Do this, and 
you need have little fear of being compelled to undergo the trouble 
or annoyance of treating any cases of thrush or similar disease. 

Tpeatment. — Remove at once to a clean, dry place, and administer 
the following purgative pill: 

No. IS. Powdered aloes, % ounce. 

Calomel, 1 drachm. 

Vaseline, lard or water, sufficient. 
Mix, making one pill. 

Remove all Ulth from the frog, and pare off all ragged ed*res, thus 
exposing the diseased spot ; then put on a flaxseed poultice, with a 
little carbolic acid in it. To dry the discharge, take a little calomel, 
and press it to the veiy bottom of the crack, and then All in the outer 
part with cotton batting or tow. This should effect a cure in two or 
three dressings, provided the foot is kept dry. The use of No. 15, 
after the discharge has dried, will complete the treatment. 

When the disease is the result of an impoverished condition of the 

system, use the Tonic Powders No. 19. In such cases the disease is 

veiy apt to return. 

XII. Canker. 

This disease is not veiy often seen in America. It is usually the 
sequel of some other affection, such as neglected thrush, quittor, nail 
wounds, etc. The class of animals most subject to it are heavy 
draft horses that have been kept in filthy, damp stables. 

Symptoms. — The sensitive tissues become so badlv diseased that in- 
stead of forming healthy horn, they secrete masses of cheesy sub- 
stance, or imperfect horn cells, which have furrows between, whence 
issues a peculiarly foul and filthy discharge. So strong is the ten- 
dency of this disease to extend and involve the whole sole, and so dif- 
ficult is it to cure, that, unless the animal is valuable, it will not re- 
pay treatment. 



254 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Treatment. — First remove all loose and diseased horn, and apply a 
carbolized poultice, as directed for thrush. To remove the growths 
use a strong caustic, such as nitric acid, corrosive sublimate, sulphate 
of copper, nitrate of silver, butter of antimon}^, or sulphuric acid. 
As the efficacy of most caustics is apt to be impaired by frequent use, 
it is often necessary to change them. Whichever the one adopted, 
it must be applied very thoroughly, and re-applied when any signs of 
the growths are seen. The sole must be packed with tow and tar, 
using firm pressure, and careful precautions be taken to keep the feet 
perfectly dry. 

When the animal is debilitated, or the disease is probably charge- 
able to a vitiated condition of the blood, change the feed to a diet 
easily digested, and use the following powders, and regulate the 
bowels with the Purgative Pill No. 18: 

No. 19. Powdered sulphate of iron, 3 ounces. 

Powdered gentian, 2 ounces. 

Powdered poplar bark, 4 ounces. 

Mix. 

Divide into twenty-four powders, and give one night and morning 

in the feed. 

XIII. Founder, or Laminitis. 

This disease is known by a variety of names in different sections of 
the country, such as fever in the feet, water-founder, corn-founder, 
grass-founder, and others. It is an inflammation of the various 
structures that secrete the hoof, namely, the sensitive sole, the frog 
and coronary band, and thence extending to the bones. The hoof 
being a horny, unyielding box, the swollen tissues are greatly com- 
pressed, causing the most intense pain. Founder is seen in both the 
acute and chronic forms; in the latter there is usually more or less 
alteration in the shape of the hoof, and the pain is thereby rendered 
less acute. 

Causes — Concussion on hard roads ; over-exertion ; breaking loose 
and over-eating, especially of feed unsuitable; drinking too iiuu-li cold 
water after a hard drive, and throwing too heavy a weight on a par- 
ticular foot, on account of the opposite one being injured. 

Symptoms. — These are variable. Sometimes they ai-e well marked, 
the horse indicating the nature of his sufferings with unmistakable 
plainness; but not unfretjuently they are so obscure as to be mis- 
taken or entirel}'^ overlooked. The first noticeable sign is the horse's 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 



255 



restlessness and the frequent shiftings of the fore-feet. The pulse is 
quick and hard, the nostrils have a red and florid appearance, and a 
condition of extreme suffering is indicated by an anxious, woe-begone 
look, with repeated or heavy grunts. 

When the front feet are affected, the horse, as he stands, will ex- 
tend them far in front, resting on the heels, meanwhile keeping the 
hind feet under the body to take the weight off the painful parts. 
When the hind feet are affected, he will also rest on the heels, but all 
four of the feet are then brought under the centre of the body, so as 
to relieve the weight from the hind parts. When backed, a foundered 
horse does so with difficulty, dragging the feet along the ground. 




A FOUNDERED HORSE TRYING TO WALK. 



Movement forward is generally much easier, but it is a quick motion, 
with the weight principally on the heels. 

In the acute stages, the sufferer does not stand long upon his feet, 
and yet cannot lie clown in the natural manner; but, after making 
several efforts to do so, he will rise up, turn round, change his posi- 
tion, and then resume his feints of lying down. Sometimes these 
efforts will be repeated three or four times before he accomplishes 
his object, which he finally does by dropping to the ground like a log. 
The stillness with which he lies upon his side is proof at once that 
the attack is not one of colic; while his changed look of relief and 
comparative -ease declares, as plainly as words could, what his dis- 
order really is. After a time he rises upon his haunches to get up, 



25(3 



THE AMERICAN FARMER >S HORSE BOOK. 



but, overcome with the i)aiii iii hi.s feet which the effort occasioiLs, he 
suddenly drops upon his side again. Putting his head around to the 
feet, he rests his nose upon them, as if to point out the seat of his 
acute pain, and to plead, as well as he can, for some relief. 

In the chronic form, the products of the inflammation separate the 
wall from the inner parts, and the material formed presses the pedal 
bone on to the sole of the foot, which is bulged downward, and in. 
some cases the point of the bone is forced through. The secretion 
of horn is interfered with, and the wall is ringed, as shown in the 
illustration, the hoof becoming greatly deformed. 

Treatment. — Remove the shoes, and give the following mild purga- 
tive pill : 

No. 20. Powdered aloes, y^ ounce. 

Powdered ginger, 2 drachms. 

Vaseline or lard, sufficient to mix. 

Make one pill, and administer prompfiy. 

There is a difference of opinion as to using hot or cold applications 
for this trouble. The writer has used, and seen used, both forms of 
treatment, with equally good results. In any case, it will be a good 
plan, if possible, to place the animal in slings, and the feet in tubs, 




THE RESULT OF CHUOMC FOUNDER. 

containing either the hot or ice-cold water. This will give great 
relief. Afterwards Jipply large poultices of flax-seed, to be changed, 
as soon as the hent or the coldness (accoi'ding as the hot or ice-cold 
treatment is the one adopted) begins to leave them. By encouraging 
the nninial to lie down, there will be a verv decided benefit noticed, 
and if the feet coidd be elevated, the effect would l)e l^etter still. 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 257 

Bleeding, both from the jugular vein and from the toe or coronet, 
is practiced, but only during the very first stages, and in animals 
decidedly robust. 

For the fever give the following powders, ojie every four hours, on 
the tongue, and feed soft and easily-digested food. 

No. 21. Antifebrin, 3 ounces. 

Nitrate of potash, 2 ouuces. 

Mix, and make into twenty-four powders. 

Treatment of Chronic Founder. — The treatment of the chronic 
form will consist in removing the fever by cold, and afterwards shoe- 
ing carefull}^, in the style best adapted to the condition of the foot, 
using a good Avide-webbed shoe, well hollowed out, to prevent pres- 
sure on the bulo-iuo- sole. 

XIV. Horny Tumor of the Hoof, or Keratoma. 

Horny tumors, in rare cases, are found growing from the inside of 
the wall of the hoof. By pressing on the sensitive parts they cause 
lameness, and eventually may brhig about an absorption of the bone. 
They are most commonly seen at the toe, and may be caused by the 
use of toe clips, or from standing with the heel of one foot resting up- 
on the other. The horn of the part becomes mealy, and losing its 
fibrous nature, is short in grain, and not of the natural color. Lame- 
ness sometimes delays its appearance until late in the disease, when it 
is usually very severe. 

Treatment. — Remove the shoe, and follow the tumor up the wall 

until its origin is located ; then remove it, and dress with tow and tar. 

In the next two shoeings, be careful to reduce the pressure on that 

part of the wall. 

XV. Navicular Disease. 

This is also known as groggy lameness and chest founder. It is a 
disease which in the past was very imperfectly understood, and even 
at the present day there is a great deal of speculation in regard to it, 
with a wide difference of opinion as to the parts affected first. 

Causes. — It has been pretty well settled that this disease is hered- 
itary. In other words, a conformation of the limbs favorable to its 
development is held to be transmissible from the parent to the off- 
spring. It is also seen in connection wdth inflammation of the navic- 
ular joint, in consequence of nail wounds, stones bruising the frog, 
17 



258 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



or sprains of the tendon passing under the navicular bone. It is a 
strange fact that certain colors among animals seem predisposed to it, 
especially light sorrels and bajs. The most likely explanation yet 
offered is that color has some connection with the constitution. As 
before intimated, certain conformation or shapes of the limbs also 
show special liability to it ; thus it is very commonly associated with a 
narrow chest, long legs and spread feet. 




SECTION OF THE FOOT, AND PASTERN AND FETLOCK JOINTS. 

This very instructive view illustrates, among other tilings, liow easily the coffin-joint (a little to 
the left of 16) may be toru open by treads. The seat of navicular disease is the tendon shown at lu. 



1 — Cannon or shank bone. 
2 — Fetlock joint. 
5 — Upper pastern. 
4 — Lower pastern. 
5 — Navicular bone. 



6 — Coffin or pedal bone. 
7— The Hoof. 
5— Frog. 

9 — Sesamoid bones. 
10 — Tendon under the navicular bone. 



Symptoms. — Navicular disease rarely comes on suddenly, unless 
the result of an accident, and it is usually slow in progress. An 
uneasiness, or shifting of the feet, is the first thing noticed, the foot 
being rested on the toe, in which respect it differs from shoulder 
lameness. In the latter the foot is placed forward, but laid flat on 
the floor. When taken out of the stable in the morning, or after 
resting from a hard drive, the animal moves off in a very stiff and 
stilty manner, and very likely stubs his toe; but in a short time the 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE FEET. 259 

trouble wears off, and lie goes as well as ever. Another symptom not 
infrequently noticed is the shifting of the lameness from one foot to 
another, or it may even disappear for a time, in these ways simulating 
rheumatism. 

The hoof is dry; discoloration of the bars is occasionally seen from 
effused blood ; the coronet is feverish ; and pain is evidenced on 
tapping the foot with a light hammer, or on pressing in the hollow 
above the frog. The muscles of the chest will atrophy or sweeny ; 
the foot contract, principally at the heels, and by and by the animal is 
found to be so crippled as to be unserviceable. When the foot of a 
navicular horse is dissected, the bone will be found to present a worm- 
eaten or honey-combed appearance, and the tendon opposite will be 
softened and ragged. 

Prevention. — Much can be accomplished in this direction by breed- 
ing only from sound stallions and mares; the disease being hereditaiy, 
animals affected with it, should on no account be used for breeding 
purposes. In young aninuds, keep the feet properly pared down, 
but do not allow the shoer to pare the frog, as this will allow of 
bruises. 

Treatment. — When a cure occurs it is through a joining of the 
-tendon and bone together. Whenever this disease is suspected, 
shorten the toe, thin the sole, and apply large soft poultices. Strong 
blisters, such as the Fly Blister No. 7, or Oil Blister No. 8, may 
with advantage be thoroughly rubbed around the whole coronet. 
Give the patient a run at pasture for at least two months. In after- 
shoeing, thicken the heel and turn up the toe. 

Setons through the frog are sometimes used ; and neurotomy, or 
dividing the nerves of the foot, is performed as a last resort. (See 
chapter on Special Operations.) 



CHAPTER XIX. 
THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING-. 



I. SHOEING A GKEAT BUT NECESSAKY EVIL. II. IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE 

KNOWLEDGE IN SHOEING. III. THE TWO-FOLD OBJECT OF SHOEING. 

IV. APPEARANCE VER US UTILITY. V. GENERAL PLAN OF THE FOOT'S 

STRUCTURE. VI. BONES OF THE SHANK AND FETLOCK. VII. BONES OF 

THE FOOT. VIII. LIGAMENTS AND TENDONS OF THE FOOT. IX. THE 

CARTILAGES AND CUSHIONS OF THE HORSE'S FOOT. -X. THE SENSITIVE 

FOOT, OR "QUICK.' XI. THE WALL, OR CRUST, OF THE HOOF. XII. 

THE SOLE. XIII. THE FROG. XIV. AS TO MUTUAL DEPENDENCE OF THE 

PARTS, AND SYMMETRY. XV. STRUCTURE OF THE HOOF. XVI. THE 

PRODUCTION, GROWTH AND DECAY OF HOOF. XVII. TWO PERTINENT 

QUESTIONS. XVIII. PROPER RELATIVE POSITION OF FOOT AND LEG. 

XIX. PROPER FORM AND BEARING OF THE FOOT. 

I. Shoeing a Great but Necessary Evil. 

The horse was subject to a sad necessity when shoes were first put 
on his feet, which was probably not done previous to the twelfth or 
thirteenth century. Before this period he had 
no protection for his feet, and needed none, ex- 
cept that which the all-wise Creator had given — 
the hard, horny hoof. This, in the early ages 
of the world, answered ever}' purpose ; but now, 
in this artificial age of unyielding, flinty roads, 
an artificial protection seems indispensable. Per- 
haps no greater curse has ever been inflicted 
upon the horse than this of shoeing. His feet are injured — often 
ruined — by it. Moreover, it fre(]uently causes diseases which ruin 
not only the foot, but other and more vital parts. But although the 
evils of shociuii: are many, and the sufferinc;s of the horse often orcat 
in consequence, the world's advantage obviously rc(|uires this sulimis- 
sion of the brute to the use of man. Horses, if used at all on our 
present roads, must be shod. All that we hope to do, in writing on 
this subject, is to prevent, as far as possible, the infliction of unnec- 
essary evils upon the horse, by pointing out wherein they consist, 
and recommending a better practice than is usual in the art of shoeing. 

2m 




THE SIIOER AT WORK. 



THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 261 

Horse-shoeing has been discussed for ages, and hundreds have 
been the inventions for the improvement of the shoe; yet but little 
progress has been made, and the subject is scarcely better understood 
than it was a century ago. But the truth seems to be that the preva- 
lent evils in shoeing arise not so much from want of knowledge as 
from carelessness and indifference on the part of workmen. 

A practical work like this would assuredly be incomplete, without 
plain directions for preparing the foot and putting on the shoe. The 
subject has never been more ably treated than by the English veter- 
inarian, W. Hunting, F. E. C. V. S., from whose masterlj^ treatise 
we quote at some length, believing our readers will thank us for so 
doing, because of the immense importance of this subject ; for the 
old adage, "the legs of a horse are the horse," when understood as 
including the feet, is almost literall}^ true. 

II. Importance of Accurate Knowledge in Shoeing. 

"The fact that about 50 per cent, of our horses are lame, and that 
of these at least one-half suffer from preventable disease of the foot, 
is sufficient to indicate gross mismanagement, and to show the im- 
portance of a correct understanding of the foot. From colthood up- 
wards the majority of horses' feet are submitted to ruinous influences. 
Animals intended for such artilical circumstances as work on hard 
roads and constant shoeing, should have their feet preserved in 
the most perfect condition. A firm, dry soil and perfect liberty 
render it almost certain that the hoof should acquire the desirable 
solidity and compactness, but how often do we find the yearling under 
totally opposite condition, either in a small low pasture, a loose box, 
or a dirty, wet fold-yard. The vitiated horn, the disproportionate, 
overgrown, and sometimes flat feet, due to such uncongenial situations, 
are incompatible with perfect equine form and action. A 'fine-topped' 
horse, with short legs and well-developed muscles, must have a sound 
hoof by nature. Yet, though it is unfair to credit the farrier with 
all the ills the foot is heir to, he cannot be acquitted of frequently 
aggravating matters. 

"The mechanical skill brought to bear is now equal to the task, but 
correct principles have to be systematically arranged and enforced. 
Horse shoers are not skilled specialists. They have been left in igno- 
rance, and know no more of the structure and functions of the foot 
than a farm laborer knows of the intimate structure of a hedge-stake 



262 TliE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

he is called upon to point. Horses' feet never would have been 
'peeled' as they have been, unless the farriers and their veterinary 
masters had been very inadequately educated. Consider wliat is in- 
volved in the act of shoeing. A farrier not only gives to the foot a 
definite form, but insures the retention of that form, whether good 
or bad, for the time the shoe remains on the foot. In fact, the well- 
being and usefulness of the entire limb is in his keeping. 
III. The Two-fold Object of Shoeing. 

"The primary aim in shoeing horses is the preservation of the foot 
and the maintenance of its form m harmony with the position and 
action of the limb. A secondary, though very important, object is the 
adaptation of a shoe suitable to the conditions under which an 
animal labors. I think no one can say that less than this is com- 
patible with good shoeing, and yet it renders necessary an amount of 
knowledge seldom possessed by farriers. Failure to comply with 
these requisites injures the foot and leg, and places the animal in a 
disadvantageous position for the performance of his work. The con- 
sequences of bad shoeing are but too common — more so than is gen- 
erally supposed, for immediate lameness is not always induced. 
These effects are traceable through all the various stages of 'impaired 
action,' 'tenderness,' 'grogginess,' 'lameness.' 

"Successful shoeing, then, requires something more than ordinary 
dexterity. A trained mind is no less necessary than a trained hand. 
The requirements of the foot and shoe must be known, as well as 
skill possessed to carry them out. 

"Although it is true that no two feet are exactly alike, yet there is in 
all a regular conformity of type, and in each a relative proportion of 
parts. There is, in fact, such a similarity as to admit of broad 
l)rinciples of shoeing being laid down api)licable to all feet. No un- 
deviating rules can be framed for a farrier's guidance. Each case 
must appeal to his judgment, and for this reason alone it is essential 
that the man be more than a mechanic, and that the principles of the 
art should be settled on a firm basis. 

IV. Appearance versus Utility. 

"The present condition of farriery is deplorable. Horses' feet are 
cut and carved as if they were solid blocks. The sole object of pre- 
paring the hoof for a shoe seems to be its reduction to some regular 
geometrical form with smooth surfaces. The shoe is turned to the 
taste of the workman or employer, and generally 'seated' in accord- 



THE FOUXDATIOX PRINCIPLES OF SHOEIXG. 263 

ance with the exploded theory that the sole of the foot yields or de- 
scends at each step. That the amount of horn can affect the struc- 
tures within, or that the form of the hoof can alter the position of the 
limb, seems either unknown or utterly ignored. The principle of most 
universal application is appearance first, utility next. Unluckily, 
modern ideas of appearance are incompatible with utility, so far as 
horse-shoeing is concerned. This state of things is not creditable to 
any one concerned ; not only farriers, but veterinary surgeons and 
horse-owners, are each relatively responsible for it. Horse-owners 
should really feel that when a horse, sound or lame, is entrusted to a 
veterinarian with a view to its being properly shod, they ai'e calling 
into requisition higher faculties than those manifested by a smith who 
is asked to mend a lock or make a key. The forge suggests many 
disagreeable accessories, but these would be much decreased if owners 
would but take the trouble to visit it occasionally, and see for them- 
selves how their horses' feet are treated. 

"In the majority of London forges half the animals are shod, not 
on the principles held by the managers, but in accordance with direc- 
tions brought with the horse; and yet, notwithstanding the extreme 
absurdity of some of those directions, the farrier is held responsible 
for the results of his work. Surely if a man is worth employing at 
all he may be entrusted to properly carry out that which is his special 
study and daily practice. Horse-owners have been deficient in inter- 
est and appreciation. A change of conduct would save them time, 
money and annoyance. 

"The farrier who 'pares a foot well out,' turns a neat fancy shoe, 
and rasps the hoof where it never should be touched, is a great fa- 
vorite with men who pride themselves on their 'turn out.' Now it 
happens that a shoe made with mathematical accuracy may in wearing 
prove injurious. It is the fit, not the finish, of a shoe that shows 
an expert farrier. The mere making of a shoe has reached a high 
pitch of excellence. The attention of farriers must now be turned to 
the foot, for the public has lately been disabused of the idea of pecu- 
liar virtues in the form of the shoe, and is beginning to appreciate 
the greater importance of a proportionate foot. The simple truth is 
shoeing should be paid for, not shoes. Who values a sculptor's work 
by the price of the marble? No one! In farriery, however, an 
extra quantity of iron does obtain an extra price, whilst extra skill, 
save that spent on finely finishing a shoe, is altogether ignored. 



264 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




SECTION OF THE HORSE'S FOOT. 



V. General Plan of the Foot's Structtire. 
"A knowledge of the foot in health is absolutely essential to its 
proper treatment at the forge. To gain that knowledge is, therefore, 
worth the mental effort of close attention to certain anatomical and 
other details, by which alone it can be acquired. 

"The foot of the horse consists of various structures, endowed with 
special functions, but all mutually dependent on each other for har- 
monious action. A section shows us as the centre or basis, the last 

three bones of the limb. These 
are firmly bound together by 
ligaments, and afford attach- 
ment to the strong tendons by 
which the foot is moved. On 
each side we have a mass of 
gristle, knoAvn as the lateral 
cartilage, whilst behindthe bone 
is a large elastic pad — the plan- 
tar cushion. Over these is 
stretched a fibrous layer or en- 
velope, — the sensitive foot. 
Outside of all is the horny covering, or hoof. Each of these 
requires a short, separate consideration. 

VI. Bones of the Shank and Fetlock. 
"Below the knee and hock the bones of the fore and hind limb 
differ but little. Immediately beneath these joints we find the 
cannon or shank bones which run to the fetlock, in a direction verti- 
cally downwards, the best position for supporting columns. The 
shank bones, though small in circumference, are composed of extra 
hard and dense material; hence, strength is attained with symmetry. 
In addition to supporting weight, they are like all other long bones 
of the limbs, levers for muscular action. 

"On each side of the back of the shank are the splint bones, which 
extend from the knee downwards to about two-thirds the length of 
the larger bone. Tlie space between these two is occupied by liga- 
ments and tendons. At the lower end of the shank-bone, where it 
meets the pastern to form the fetlock, are two small bones — the ses- 
samoids. They arc attached to the back of the cannon, and so ar- 
ranged as to increase the joint surface, whilst their posterior surface 
forms a pulley for the passage of the back tendons. 



THE FOUNDATION PRINCirLES OF SHOEING. 



265 




"The pastern bone, extending from the fetlock to the coronet, is 
placed obliquely downwards and forwards — a provision against con- 
cussion. On the proper proportion of this obliquity depends a great 
deal of the easy, springy action so much prized by horsemen. 
Straight pasterns are accompanied by a short, stilty action, and, in 
time, not unfrequently by a forwardness of the knee. On the other 
hand, excessively slanting pasterns betoken weakness ; at an}^ rate they 
are placed at such a disadvantage as to favor the advent of some ac- 
cident or disease, as a sprain or a bony deposit. The obliquity of 
the pastern detracts from its strength as a supporting column, but 
this is full}^ compensated for by the strong ligaments and tendons 
surrounding and binding it to the bones above and below. 
VII. Bones of the Foot. 

"The coronet, or small pastern, is a short, almo square, bone of 
great strength and solidity, resting on the coffin and supporting the 
pastern. It is situated partly 
within the hoof. Its direc- 
tion is, like the pastern, di- 
rectly downwards and for- 
wards. This bone is the 
centre of motion for the foot. ™^ coronet, or small pastern (different 

IT-ri •. • n ^ • 1 FACES). 

W hen it IS a nxed pomt the 

coffin bone can move backwards and forwards upon it; when the 

foot is a fixed point the coronet moves upon the coffin in the same 

direction. 

"The coffin or pedal bone is the low- 
ermost segment of the bony limb. It 
is firmly fitted into the hoof, which it 
resembles in form, having a convex 
front surface rounded from side to side 
and slightly concave on its under sur- 
face. The front and sides of the bone 
are roughened for the attachment of 
the sensitive foot. The under surface, 
affording attachment to the same 

structure, is coraparativel}^ smooth. The upper part of the bone 
is a smooth joint surface, sloping downwards and backwards to suit 
the position of the coronet bone which joins it. In front of this 
surface, on a pyramidal eminence, is attached the extensor tendon 
of the foot. Behind and beneath it, in a roughened space, is in- 




COFFIN OR PEDAL BONE. 



266 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




SIDE VIEW OF COFFIN-BONE. 



sertecl the termination of tlie flexor tendon. The body of the bone 
only extends to near the middle of tlie foot; on each side, how- 
ever, is a bony projection, which extends 
backwards to near the heels. The pedal 
bone if placed on a level surface should 
take a level bearing on the whole of its 
margin. It does so in a foot which has 
never been shod, but man}^ deviations are 
met with after a year or two of shoeing. 
"The circumference should not be cir- 
cular, such form being due to absorption of bone at the toe; nor do I 
think it advisable to compare it with any geometrical figure. The bone is 
beautif ull}^ adapted to the wants of the foot. It is strong and light, at 
the same time affording extensive surfaces for attachment and bearing. 
"The navicular is a small bone of a flattened oblong form. It is 
placed transversely across the foot, just under the point formed by 
the cofiin and coronet bones, with both of which it articulates. Its 
under surface is covered by a smooth cartilaginous layer, over which 
passes the flexor tendon of the foot. Though firmly bound down by 
ligaments, the bone is possessed of a slight degree of motion ; it is 
thus enabled easily to withstand the great force applied during con- 
traction of the tendon. The so-called navicular joint consists, not of 
a bony junction, but of the passage of a tendon over smooth surface 
supplied with synovia, or joint-oil. 

VIII. Ligaments and Tendons of the Foot. 
"Each joint is supplied with its own special ligaments, of which we 
need only say that they are very strong and inelastic. There is, 

however, a ligamentous structure, which 
we must notice, as it has a remarkable 
action on the foot. At the back of the 
cannon, between the small splint bones, is 
situated a strong ligament called the sus- 
pensory. It arises immediately below the 
knee, and I'uns down the back of the 
bone, till just above the fetlock joint 
it splits into two branches which, diverg- 
ing, take an attachment on the sessa- 
moids behind the joint, and then pas- 
ses on to be finally inserted on each 
side of the pastern. The use of this ligament is to preserve the 
relative position of the pastern and foiU to the shank. When an 




NAVICULAR BONE (DIFFERENT 

FACES). 



TPIE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 267 

animal rests its weight upon the foot, the ligament being inelastic, 
prevents undue extension of the pastern on the cannon bon-e ; or, to 
put it still plainer, it prevents the foot being turned up in front, and 
the fetlock coming to the ground, an accident which reall}^ occurs in 
cases of its sudden rupture. 

"At the back of the leg behind the suspensory ligament we have two 
strong tendons — the flexor or back tendons. The outermost of these, 
after passing with its fellow over the pulley formed for them at the 
back of the fetlock, terminates by two branches, which are inserted 
one on each side of the coronet bone. The other tendon passes down 
over the back of the coronet bone, then over the navicular, and finally 
becomes inserted on the under surface of the cofiin bone. These 
tendons, through the action of their muscles, are both flexors of the 
foot, the one acting directly upon the pedal bone, the other upon 
the coronet. They possess, too, a mechanical action like the suspen- 
sory ligament, for a strong fibrous band passes from the origin of the 
suspensory beloAV the knee to get attached to the flexor tendons about 
midway down the shank. Thus the back tendons, through this fibrous 
connection, assist the suspensory ligament in preserving the relative 
position of foot and leg. This connecting ligament, by the way, is 
the commonest seat of sprains of the back tendons. In front of the 
cannon bones we have two strong tendons passing down to get 
attached, one on the larger pastern, the other on the upper part of 
the cofiin bone. These are the extensors of the foot. The extrem- 
ities of these tendons are much flattened and widened out, and show 
conspicuously a use partaken in more or less by all the tendons 
running to the foot, that of assisting and strengthening the ordinary 
ligaments of the joints over which they pass. 

IX. The Foot's Cartilages and Cushions. 

The Lateral Cartilages. — "These are flattened masses of gristle 
situated one on either side of the foot. They arise from the pro- 
cesses of the coffin bone, extend backwards the whole extent of the 
foot and rise above the level of the horn at the heels, where they can 
be distinctly felt through the skin. When diseased by the invasion 
of bone, they become rigid and constitute side-bones. These cartilages 
are very extensive; they give form to the quarters and heels, and 
afford a basis of attachment for the sensitive foot, where bone, from 
its unvieldino- nature, M'ould be inadmissible. 



268 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




PEDAL-BONE, WITH CARTILAGES AND 
CUSHION ATTACHKD. 



The Plantar Cushion. — "Bj this name I prefer to designate that 
mass of soft tissue situated behind the body of the coffin-bone, in the 

space between the cartilages. 
It has been spoken of as the fi- 
brous frog, the fatty frog, and the 
fibro-f atty frog, according as each 
author regarded its structure. 
The use of the word frog here 
I consider objectionable, as likely 
to create confusion with the 
sensitive and horny elements of 
that name. The plantar cushion 
is of considerable extent. It forms the bulbs of the heels, and the 
basis upon which is placed the sensitive frog. It stretches across the 
foot from cartilage to cartilasre, rising: as hii^h as the middle of the 
coronet; in short, it fills up the whole of the space inside the hoof be- 
hind the coffin-bone, save that occupied 
by the cartilages and flexor tendon. It is 
soft and yielding, being composed of mas- 
ses of elastic tissue enclosed in a net-work 
of inelastic fibres. These fibres run, 
some tranversely across the foot from 
cartilage to cartilage, and others from 
above, downwards and forwards. 

"This beautifully adapted cushion serves 
many purposes ; it gives form to the 
heels of the foot; l)y filling up every 
interstice it acts as a pad to the coffin 
joint and to the tendon passing over the 
VIEW OF FOOT FROM ABOVE, navicuhir bone. By its yielding proper- 
Showing the coffin-bone, cartiiagesand ties it allows the frog to recede from 

undue pressure, thus mitigating jar, whilst 
b}^ its transverse, inelastic bands the cartilages, and through them 
the sides of the foot, are tied together. 

The Coronary Cushion. — "This is another mass of ela.stic tissue 
situated round the top of the foot just where the hair meets the horn. 
To it is due the prominence and elasticit}' of the coronet — a prom- 
inence necessary as the basis on which is placed the coronary band, a 
structure from which is derived the wall. Its yielding properties are 




THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 269 

also most essential to ward off the effects of contusions on sh.ch. a 
sensitive and vascular part. [Vascular means abounding in vessels.] 

X. The Sensitive Foot, or "Quick." 

"The sensitive foot, commonly called the 'quick,' situated just 
within the hoof, is a strong tibrous hiyev stretched over the subjacent 
bony and cartilaginous structures, and enclosing the coronary and 
plantar cushions. It is freely supplied with nerves and blood-vessels 
necessary to its function as the tactile organ of the foot, and the 
source of the gro^vth of horn. The superficial arrangement of the 
sensitive foot differs according to the local requirements. The under 
surface, corresponding to the frog and sole, is known as the sensitive 
frog and sensitive sole. The part corresponding to the wall is called 
the sensitive laminte. The portion stretched over the coronary cushion, 
and running round the top of the foot, is known as the coronary 
band. These names are convenient for description, but the distinc- 
tion is very arbitrary. 

Different Parts of the Sensitive Foot. — "The coronary band, the 
upper part of the sensitive foot, presents on its surface numerous little 
eminences, or papillse. Each papilla forms a horn fibre, and the space 
between the papillae also forms an agglutinating horn. From this 
source is derived the wall. 

"The sensitive laminae, situated on the front and round the sides of 
the foot, are little folds or ridges running parallel to each other down- 
wards and forwards. They much resemble the under side of a mush- 
room. They are inelastic, very vascular, and correspond to similar 
leaves on the inside of the hoof. 

"The sensitive sole and frog, related to the corresponding divisions 
of the hoof, present a finely papillated appearance for the production 
and attachment of horn. 

"All these divisions of the sensitive foot have the common function 
of producing and giving attachment to the hoof. 

XI. The Wall, or Crust, of the Hoof. 

"We will next consider the hoof in detail, and show how each part 
is dependent upon the others for healthy form and action — in short, 
give a description of the foot in its relation to shoeing, a description 
which requires for its appreciation the drj^ anatomical details above 
inflicted. And first as to the hoof. This the outer covering of the 



270 



THE AMERlCAJNf FARRIER S HORSE BOOK. 



horse's foot, is a laj-er of horn, moulded exactly upon the structures 
Avithin. It is most conveniently described as consisting of three 
divisions, — wall, sole and frog. 

"The wall, or 'crust,' is that poiiion of the hoof visible whilst the 
foot rests on the ground. It extends from the coronet downwards 
and outwards in a straight line to the ground; thus the lower circum- 
ference is greater than the upper. The front portion shows the 
greatest height and obliquity (about 50 deg.). Diminishing in these 
respects as it runs backwards, it becomes nearly upright at the quar- 
ters, the inner one more especially. 

The Bars. — "On reaching the heels the wall is turned in upon itself 
and continued towards the centre of the foot, w^here it is lost in the 
structure of the sole. These inflexions are known aS the bars; they 
serve two important ends. By the turning in of the wall a portion of 
sole is embraced on each side, which affords solidity to the posterior 

parts of the foot ; they also 
protect the frog and sole 
from undue pressure, by j)re- 
sentino; a bearino' surface 
level with the wall. 

Features of the Wall. — 
"By detaching the wall we 
are enabled to see variations 
in its thickness ; it is thickest 
at the toe, becoming grad- 
ually thinner towards the liecls, thus offering strength and so- 
lidity at one part to resist wear, at another presenting ])liancy to 
ward off concussion. A glance at any sound hoof will show that this 
is true in respect to both fore and hind feet. Why so many authors 
say that in the hind foot the wall is thickest at the quarters, I know 
not. They must either have examined unnatural feet or rested satis- 
fied with the statements of previous writers. The inner surface of 
the wall is seen covered by a number of thin, horny plates, pro-' 
jectiug inwards and running parallel to each other from above, 
oblicjuely downwai'ds and forwards. These are called the horny 
lamiuje; they numl)er from five to six hundred, and correspond to the 
sensitive laniime. This arrangement increases the area of attachment 
to about twelve times its superficial extent, thus giving at once com- 
pactness and firmness. Bound the inner and upper circumference is 




WALL, OR CRUST, OF THE FOOT. 



THE FOUN^DATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING, 



271 






a depression, or groove, presenting innumerable small openings; this 
corresponds to the coronary band, the papilla; on which fit into the 
openings just mentioned. 

- Uses of the Wall. — "The wall, besides protecting the parts of the 
foot it covers, sustains the greatest portion of the weight of the ani- 
mal. This it does, not because the foot is slung in it, but simply be- 
cause its lower border takes the most prominent bearing. 

XII. The Sole. 

"The sole may be looked upon as the floor of the foot. It is situated 
within the lower border of the Avail, and consists of a strong horny 
plate, slightly arched and having its concavity downwards. The arch 
is imperfect posteriorly, being there 
divided by a space for the frog 
into two lateral processes, which 
are grasped between the wall and 
its inflexions or bars. The un- 
mutilated sole is throughout of 
nearly equal thickness, a slight ex- 
cess obtaining round the circumfer 
ence for the firmer attachment to 
the wall. As we speak of the a7xk 
of the sole, it will be convenient to 
carry the simile a little further, 

and call its circumference or June- showing the lammas in streaks, or strips ; be- 
.. •,1,1 iiji 7, , low is the lioruy frog and sole. 

tion with the wall the abutment. 

"The inner surface of the sole presents a finely-fitted appearance, to 
correspond with the small eminences, or papilla?, on the sensitive sole. 
This is most marked towards tlie toe and borders, becoming smoother 
as w^e approach the frog. The inner surface of the sole presents no 
line of demarcation showing its junction with either frog or wall; the 
whole surface of the hoof seems continuous. 

Uses of the Sole. — "The sole not only protects the ground surface 
of the foot, but takes its share in sustaining weight. On soft ground, 
where the hoof sinks, this is done directly; on hard ground, where 
the arch takes no direct bearing, it sustains weight through its abut- 
ments like any other arch. This should be remembered, as in shoe- 
ing it is but too common to see care taken to place the whole bearing 
on the wall, and thus interfere with the function of the sole. 




SECTION OF THE HOOF. 



272 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



XIII. The Frog. 

"The frog is the smallest division of the hoof. It is a triangulai' 
shaped body, filling up the space left between the bars. Its broad 
base is rounded and prominent, and is continued laterally bj a flat- 
tened layer of horn, which binds together the heels of the foot. This 
layer is continuous, with a horn-like band running round the upper part 
of the wall, just below the hair of the coronet. By steeping a foot 
in water for some weeks we are enabled to remove the frog and this 
band entire. This structure is the coronary frog band. It is merely 
a cuticular prolongation analagous to that found on the under side of 
the human nail at its free border. It serves a useful purpose — that 

of protecting the young horn at its 
source of growth, and should there- 
fore never be removed. Though spoken 
of as a band, it literally is a layer 
which, Avhen not interfered with, ex- 
tends down on the wall indefinitely. 
Probably few horsemen have ever no- 
ticed its existence, unless from the effects 
of a poultice it has become white, which 
it does by absorption of moisture. 

"The point of the frog, much the 
harder part, extends forward to the 
centre of the foot, a little in front of 
which it ends abruptly. 

"Though situated between the bars, 
the frog is only attached to their 
upper border, the sides remaining free and separate. Thus, on each 
side is formed a deep fissure called the commissures of the frog. 
These spaces allow the frog to expand laterally when compressed, 
without such force being continued to the heels. The frog is elastic 
and wdien pressed upon nuist expand slightly; if these commissures 
were absent, and frog and l)ars were in close contact, either the sensi- 
tive frog would suffer, or the heels of the foot be pressed open. Both 
these results are now <2;uarded ao;ainst. 

Cleft of the Frog. — "The centre of the frog presents a depression 
or 'cleft' caused by the doubling in of the horn. Few shod feet 
exhibit it of natural appearance, and the term cleft, by implying a 
narrow and deep fissure, keeps up the false idea of its proper form. 




SOLE AND FROG OF THE FOOT. 
Showing their appearance from below. 



THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 273 

The cleft should be shallow and rounded. The depression causing the 
cleft gives rise to a prominence on the inner surface of the frog, which, 
by increasing the attaching surfaces, gives greater firmness to the or- 
gan. The cleft of the frog serves at least two purposes. By in- 
creasing the elasticity of the organ it reduces the amount of pres- 
sure on the structures within, and by breaking the regularity of sur- 
face must increase the foothold on soft ground. 

Nature and Uses of the Frog. — "The prominence of the frog might 
lead a superficial observer to consider it a thick, solid mass. I be- 
lieve such an idea is the cause of its frequent mutilation. It is merely 
a layer of horn taking the form of the structures within, which are 
similarly prominent. The frog is reall}^ an inverted arch, possessing 
comparatively little greater thickness of horn than any other part of 
the hoof. The frog, besides protecting its share of the foot, acts as 
a pad to resist shock when the foot is first placed upon the ground. 
Its prominence, coupled with its natural elasticity and toughness, ren- 
ders it, too, a most efiicient stop to prevent slipping. 

XIV. As to Mutual Dependence of the Parts, and Symmetry. 

"Concerning the hoof, then, let me repeat that it is divided into 
wall, sole, and frog; that these parts are firmly connected together; 
and that all possess the properties of toughness and elasticity. The 
hoof is thickest at the toe, and thinnest at the quarters, which are 
consequently more elastic. The heels, from the doubling in of the 
wall to form the bars, are stronger than the quarters, and yet more 
elastic, as cartilage is substituted for bone as their inner basis. The 
frog, though in itself the most elastic division of the hoof, owes a 
great deal of its yielding property to the fact that its point only is 
related to an unyielding structure. The whole body of the organ is 
related to the plantar cushion, an arrangement allowing of considerable 
upward movement. The apex being attached to the coflSn bone, is 
the fixed point from which the two halves act. Had there been no 
such fixed part, the cofiln joint and navicular bone would have been 
endangered by the undue jnelding. 

"In considering the hoof as a whole, we must attend more to the 
relative proportion of parts than to their special uses. It is true each 
individual part has some function of its own, but this it can only prop- 
erly perform in conjunction with, and by dependence on, some other. 
18 



274 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOP". 

For perfect action one division is essential to another, and all of them 
to the whole. The wall, sole, and frog are of equal importance, none 
being greater than another. The integrity of the sole is necessary 
for a perfect wall, and vice versa; or a strong sole prevents the wall 
from closing or contracting on the parts within, and a weak wall al- 
lows of the flattening and spreading of the sole. The frog is spoken 
of by some as the structure of the foot, ^^a?' excellence, and yet the 
integrity of the bars and heels is as indispensable to its proper condi- 
tion as a healthy frog is to the natural state of those parts. Should 
the heels become too high, the function of the frog is interfered 
with; it receives no pressure, consequently it wastes. If the frog 
and bars be destructively cut away, the heels of the foot certainly 
contract. 

Importance also in Relation to Function. — "All the divisions of the 
hoof, we repeat, are equally important. Furthermore, not only the 
structure, but the function, of the foot requires correct relation of 
parts. On a hard level surface the arcli of the sole takes no bearing, 
yet if of proper strength, pressure applied to the edge of the wall is 
transmitted throughout its entire extent. Suppose, however, the sole 
so thin as to yield under moderate pressure, this action is lost, and 
force, instead of being evenly distributed throughout the whole hoof , 
is confined entirely to the wall. Further, the whole hoof should pre- 
sent a normal and sufficient thickness of horn ; for, whereas force ap- 
plied to a circumscribed part of a strong hoof is diffused throughout, 
in a weak one it is transmitted directl}^ through to the tissues within. 
This direct transmission of pressure is followed by two different results. 
If pressure be violent, a bruise is caused, and pain attracts attention ; 
if it be slight, but continued, we have absorption of the cofiin bone, 
causing permanent alteration in the form of the foot — pain, however, 
being so slight as merely to call forth the remark, j^erhaps, 'that the 
horse will not stand hard work.' Defective action is too seldom 
traced to the foot, and shoeing. 

"Before leaving the action of the hoof, let it be fixed in mind that 
frog, sole and wall each sustain their share of the animal's weight. 
The horse is not, as some teach, suspended on his lamiuic, but the 
foot rests in the hoof, ecjually throughout, just as the end of a cane 
rests when well fitted into a thimble. 



THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 275 

XV. Structure of the Hoof. 

''Although the whole hoof consists of horn, we find marked differ- 
ence in the quality of each division. The wall is dense and hard, and 
thus is well enabled to resist wear. The frog is soft and elastic, 
properties useful in warding off jar or concussion. The sole presents 
a structure of an intermediate quality. 

"The horn of the hoof consists of fibres bound together by an ag- 
glutinating horny material. The fibres, in each division of the foot, 
run in one direction — obliquely downwards and forwards ; they are most 
developed in the wall, smaller in the sole, and in the frog so minute 
as to be hardly discernible. The hoof is densest and hardest in its 
outer layers, becoming gradually softer as we approach the inner 
surface. This is due to the outer layers being furthest removed from 
the source of growth, and to their being exposed do the effects of 
friction and evaporation. 

"This simple arrangement is very valuable, but frequently interfered 
with. By removing the outer layers of horn, either by rasp or knife, 
the deeper soft layers are exposed, and speedily become hard and dry 
by evaporation, the result being a dry brittle hoof, predisposed to 
sand-cracks, etc. We cannot compensate for this removal by appli- 
cations of grease or water, as such agents keep the hoof soft through- 
out, and thus militate against its effectually protecting the structures 
within. A hard outer layer is well calculated to withstand wear, and 
preserve at the same time; it keeps the inner layers soft, and thus 
the whole thickness presents a beautiful combination of hardness, 
toughness, resiliency, and strength. Besides these physical proper- 
ties, horn is a bad conductor of heat, and thus is an equally suitable 
protection in hot or cold climates. This property, too, is taken ad- 
vantage of in the fitting of shoes, of which we shall say more here- 
after. 

XVI. The Production, Growth, and Decay of Hoof. 

"The hoof is produced from the sensitive foot, the horn fibres grow 
from the little eminences called papillse, whilst the agglutinating horn 
is secreted by the tissue between the papillte. The sole and frog are 
produced by that part of the sensitive foot to which they are attached. 
The wall, though attached to the laminie, is for-mod chiefly by the cor- 
onary band. I say chiefly, because, though its main bulk grows from 
above, it receives from the laminae a horny secretion as it passes over 
them. The product of the laminae is that light-colored portion of 



THE FOUNDATION PEINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 277 

horn seen at the union of sole and wall. After an attack of "fever 
in the feet" this portion of horn is often found much increased in bulk 
and giving rise to a bulging of the wnW at the toe. The divisions of 
the foot are not separately formed and closely applied to each other ; 
the}^ are really one continuous mass of horn. Their definite form is 
due to the parts within, and their difference in texture is due to the 
relative proportion of fibrous and homogeneous horn. The hoof can 
be reproduced in whole or part, so long as the secreting structure re- 
mains uninjured. Like every other part of an animal's bod}^ the hoof 
is constanly changing. M^hilst one part decays and is removed, an- 
other receives fresh additions from its secreting surface. Thus, in a 
free and natural condition, the hoof is preserved of regular propor- 
tion . 

"The growth of horn is slow, from twelve to fifteen months being 
required to reproduce the whole hoof. An average foot gains in depth 
of wall about one inch every three months. The rapidity of growth 
cannot be accelerated by any application to the horn itself. Un- 
guents, advertised as possessing this quality, only mark the proprietor 
as a fool or rogue. Such a proceeding is like trying to nourish a 
tree through the bark instead of the roots. Everything else being- 
right, an increased flow of blood to the source of growth determines 
an increased secretion of horn. We can then, by gently stimulating 
the coronet, accelerate the growth of horn. 

"The decay and removal of horn as a natural process differs some- 
what in the three divisions of the hoof. The wall when too long be- 
comes dry, splits up in the direction of its fibres, and is broken off in 
irregular masses. On hard ground it may be worn gradually and 
smoothly down. The sole splits up and is thrown off in flakes or hor- 
izontal fragments. The frog is either worn away in shreds or rags, or 
else an entire layer thrown off at once. These processes may be and 
often are interferred with in the forge. By paring the sole thin and 
smooth, its natural flakes are destro3"ed, and nothing is thrown off 
till an entire layer becomes detached. If the rough surface then left 
behind be untouched, the natural system of decay and removal in 
flakes is again carried out. 

XVII. Two Pertinent Questions. 

"Let us now consider the action of the foot, its proper form and 
natural bearing surface. All these points are subjects of discussion, 
and all ])ear directly upon the practice of shoeing. 



278 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

"What part of the foot comes first to the ground? Some say the 
toe, others the heel, whilst perhaps the majority incline to the whole 
surface coming down flat. Now it must be understood that there is 
only one right method of laj'ing down the foot. It is irrational to 
say that this horse does one way, and that another; that one lays his 
foot down flat, another the heel first, and that both are perfectly 
natural. There is only one good natural action, whichever it may 
be, and any deviation from this is a defect. * * * * j gay, then, 
that the horse brings the foot to the ground heel first, and this not onl}^ 
in the walk, but in all paces. In speaking of the natural action of a 
horse, I, of course, suppose a level surface and liberty. Drawing- 
heavy loads, ascending or descending hills, are occasions on Avhich 
the horse, the same as man, suits himself to the circumstances, alter- 
ing his action to facilitate motion. 

"Again, does the foot, when weight is placed upon it, spread or ex- 
pand? This is an important question, as upon it depends a vast dif- 
ference in the treatment of the foot in shoeing. The commonly ac- 
cepted doctrine is that the foot widens or expands, as the result of 
pressure on the ground, and contracts again when raised in proges- 
sion. My own researches lead me to believe that although the back 
parts of the foot are possessed of useful yielding properties, there is no 
such alternate expansion and contraction. The internal structures of 
the heels — the cartilages and plantar cushion — are certainly soft and 
yielding, but the latter structure presents transverse inelastic bands, 
whose special functions I take to be the holding together of the back 
parts of the foot. Of course, no expansion can possibly take place 
where the hoof is attached directly to the cofiin-bone. ^. e., at and in 
front of the quarters. 

XVIII. The Relative Position of Foot and Leg. 

"Not much need be said under this head, but what is to be said 
.ought to be remembered quite as much as anj^thing concerning the 
hoof itself. A side view of the limb should show a perpendicular 
shank and an oblique pastern. When the heels of the foot are too 
high, the pasterns are straightened, and an unfavorable position given 
to the leg for withstanding concussion. On the contrar}^, a long toe 
and unduly reduced heels render the pasterns too oblique, and a pre- 
disposition to sj)rain is incurred. A front view of the leg should pre- 
sent such a condition that a perpendicular line should pass from tln^ 
middle of the knee, throui>h the middle of the fetlock, to the centre 



THE FOUNDATION PKINCIPLES OF SHOEING. 279 

of the foot. Bj making one side of the hoof lower than the other, 
we throw the fetlock out of its true position, thus depreciating the 
limb as a supporting column, and incurring the risk of injury by the 
opposite foot. The feet and limbs of many horses are naturally not 
in the best relative position ; but bad shoeing is capable of, and not 
uncommonly succeeds in, reducing the best formed limbs to an equality 
with the worst. Destruction of the proper relative position of foot 
and limbs must be accompanied by impaired action. Such cases are 
but too common ; they are, however, usually attributed to hard work 
or hard roads, causes comparatively innocent. 

XIX. Proper Form and Bearing of the Foot. 

"The proper form of a horse's foot is a matter on which some 
diversity of opinion exists. There is much range in the shape of a 
sound foot, and mischief has been done by attempting to reduce feet 
to an ideal form. The farrier must endeavor, not to brins^ all feet to 
a certain standard, but merely to put into proportion whatever kind 
of foot is presented to him. We may safely say that a hind foot is 
smaller and narrower than a fore, more upright and more pointed at 
the toe, and more arched in the sole. Each pair of feet should be 
symmetrical, and every foot should vary in the form of its two halves, 
the outer circumference presenting a rounder appearance than the in- 
ner. No foot shouki be quite circular, and none should show a sud- 
den narrowing of the heels. The toe of a fore foot should show 
an obliquity of about fifty degrees. The wall should run in a 
straight line from the coronet to the ground, being neither curled in 
at the heels, sunken in the middle, or stumped off at the edge. The 
ground surface should show a slightly concave, strong sole, structurally 
continuous with the wall, and a frog at least as prominent as the bars 
and wall, firm and rounded, with a small shallow cleft. To be sure 
that such a foot is natural, there should be no marks of a rasp on the 
wall, the sole should be rough, and the bars ragged. 

"The natural bearing surface of a good foot is the whole lower 
border of the wall with the abutments of the sole. The bars and 
frog should also take a bearing on the ground, but in a secondary de- 
gree, i. e., the frog should only show such prominence that it may 
easily recede on moderate pressure, and allow the stronger and denser 
heels to sustain the main weight. The bars, though taking a primary 
bearing at their posterior parts, should towards their other extremity 
gradually recede from the line of bearing, and onlj^ transmit pressure 
indirectly as a part of the plantar arch of the foot." 



CHAPTEE XX. 

THE ART OF SHOEING. 



I. PREPARING THE FOOT FOR SHOEING. II. THE THREE REQUIREMENTS OP A 

PREPARED FOOT. III. THE BEARING SURFACE. IV. THE SURFACE IN 

SPECIAL CASES. V. THE PROPER MEDIUM AS TO THE HORNY COVERING. 

VI. LOWERING THE HEELS. VII. DON'T PARE THE SOLE. VIII. AS 

TO THE FROG AND OVER-RKDUCED FEET, IX, CORRECT RELATIONSHIP OF 

FOOT AND LIMB. X. TO SECURE A PROPORTIONATE FOOT, XI. TREAT- 
MENT OF OVER-GROWN FEET. XII. HAVE THE SIHES OF THE FOOT LEFT 

EVEN. XIII, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHOE.— — XIV. FOOT AND GROUND 

SURFACES OF THE SOLE. XV. CALKINS AND CLAWS. XVI. THE SHOES 

FOR CARRIAGE HORSES, HACKS, ETC. XVII. THE NAILS AND NAILING ON. 

XVIII. CLIPS AND OTHER PRELIMINARIES TO FITTING. XIX, COMPAR- 
ATIVE UNIMPORTANCE OF OUTLINE FITTING. XX, AVOID WRONG SHOE- 
ING IN ANTICIPATION OF EVIL. -XXI. GOOD SURFACE— FITTING MOST OF 

ALL ESSENTIAL. XXII. THE FINAL PUTTING ON. XXIII. THE CHARLIER 

SYSTEM OF SHOEING. XXIV. DISCARD LEATHER SOLES, PADS, ETC. 

XXV. WHAT IS THE PROPER INTERVAL BETWEEN SHOEINGS? XXVI. HOW 

TO CARE FOR THE STABLED HORSE'S FEET. XXVII, CARE OP THE HORSE'S 

FEET WHEN AT GRASS. 

I. Preparing the Foot for Shoeing. 

''Though there is a certain amount of truth in the expression that 
"the shoe must be fitted to tlie foot, and not the foot to the shoe," 
ahiiost every foot coming into the hands of the farrier requires some 
alteration of form before it is ready for tlie shoe — it must be pre- 
pared or fitted. This is the most important step in the art of shoeing, 
and, I may add, the least understood. Any good worker in iron may 
fit a shoe to a readj^-made surface, but the farrier has this surface to 
form, and in doing so he has no set rule, no mechanical guide. It is 
entirely a matter of judgment, and reqires a knowk^dge of the cor- 
rect form, rekition, and uses of parts. The ability to prepare a foot 
so as to leave a })r()pcr l)oaring surface for a shoe is an essential dis- 
tinction between a l)la('ksinith and a farrier. It may be said ad\ised]y 
that not one horse in fifty possesses the best attainable foot surface 
for his shoes. The form of a shoe may vary to suit circunLstances, 
but the form of foot best adapted for a shoe is always the same, 
providing the organ be sound, 

28b 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 281 

"The preparation of a foot for shoeing is confined entirely to the 
manipulation of the horn below the level of the senstive foot. This 
horn is the envelope of parts extremely sensitive, and must not be 
treated as so much dead matter, to be cut and carved to the taste of 
the operator. We can, by altering its proportions, give a different 
form to the foot, and modify the action of an animal for good or 
evil. We may also, by injudicious treatment, produce, structural 
changes within the hoof — important changes, which, though immedi- 
ately attended by no well-marked symptoms, slowly but surely impair 
the action, and end in lameness. It is essential, then, that a farrier 
should know at once, on looking at a foot, whether any horn should 
be removed or not, and if so, how much, and from what parts. 

II. The Three Requirements of a Prepared Foot. 

"The requirements of a foot prepared for shoeing are: — ■ 

1. An even and sound natural bearing surface. 

2. A sufficiency of horny covering to properly retain a shoe, pro- 
tect the foot, and harmonize with its action. 

3. Correct relationship of foot and limb. 

"We must endeavor to achieve these requirements with all feet, 
whether shod for the first time or the fiftieth. A foot brouaht be- 
fore a farrier can only be proportionate or disproportionate. If the 
former, nothing is needed; if the latter, it maybe overgrown, it may 
be excessively reduced, or it may be mereljMrregular. All these con- 
ditions are embraced by the requirements stated above, which will 
now be considered in detail, after first remarkino; that few irregular 
feet can be made proportionate at one shoeing, and that, consequently, 
disproportionate feet required time, as well as careful management, 
for their restoration to normal form. 

III. Bearing Surface. 

"An even and sound natural bearing surface is, as a rule, readily ob- 
tained by merely rasping down the overgrown Avail. But we have 
feet in which the horn throughout is already too much reduced, yet 
not even. In such cases a few light touches, remove inequalities, and 
a more extensive and better balanced surface is obtained. It is im- 
possible to form a good even surface by means of the narrow- 
bladed drawing knife. The bearing surface should always be made 
by a few sweeps of the rasp. 



282 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



"The bearing surface of the foot is b}^ many farriers left too nar- 
row. After rasping down the wall to its proper level, they pare out 
the sole, leaving a surface concave from the centre to the circumfer- 
ence. Thus, as bearing surface we have left a narrow ridge not half 
the width of the w^all, and sometimes in places quite sharp. This is 
a serious evil. Not only is it impossible for a shoe to take a j)roper 
bearing, but there is a great probability of the wall yielding either 
outwards or inwards, instead of allowing the direct transmission of 
force. It is an evil, too, requiring time for its cure, as until more 
horn has grown we dare not rasp down the wall to give the needful 
breadth and solidity of surface. The accompanying diagrams repre- 
sent transverse sections of a shoe and portion of a foot, and show the 





DIAGRAMS OF SHOE AND PORTIONS OF FOOT. 



Narrow heaving surface, throwing 
all the weight, or pressure, ou 
part of the wall. 



Wider bearing surface, distrib- 
uting pressure throughout the 
eatire foot. 



different bearing surfaces which maybe left. The extra firmness and 
solidity of the broader one needs no comment. 

"The narrow bearing surface in many cases is due to a belief that the 
wall alone, and no,part of the sole, should take the pressure of the 
shoe. This is an error, for the sole at its junction with the wall, if 
left strong, is capable of bearing weight on a space at least equal to 
the thickness of the wall. The sole requires this pressure to utilize 
its function — ^. e., to act as all other arches, support weight. In afoot 
with a broad bearing surface, consisting of the wall and the abutment 
of the sole, pressure is borne equally by the whole hoof, force being 
transmitted throughout the sole and wall. 

. IV. The Surface in Special Cases. 
"By not holding the rasp truly an uneven surface is produced, 
specially noticeable at the heels — sometimes the bars being left a little 
higher than the wall, sometimes the opposite. Both conditions are 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 283 

objectionable, as in the first case there is a risk of the heels l)eing 
compressed, and in the hitter of their being violently pressed open, 

"A sound bearing surface in many cases cannot he had over the 
whole extent of the foot, Seedy-toes, sand-cracks, corns, and, above 
all, fractures of portions of walls, cause inequalities in the bearing 
surface. Our rule in such cases must be to remove only such parts 
as are not strong enough to bear pressure, and to preserve other parts 
as much as possible. An extra amount of unsound horn is less use- 
ful than a somewhat reduced amount of sound horn. In cases, 
then, of a foot much broken, we should prefer to remove the unsound 
portions, even if we reduced the horn rather below our usual stand- 
ard — believing that thus would be obtained a better and more useful 
bearing surface for a shoe. Not the whole foot should be reduced to 
the level of the most broken part. We are obliged in some cases to 
leave inches without any bearing, such parts being reduced to an ex- 
tent incompatible with the application of a shoe. If we can, in 
an over-reduced foot, get a more extensive and better balanced sound 
surface by slightly over-reducing isolated sound parts, let us do so, 
rather than leave limited and irregular bearings, whose strength is 
more apparent than real. 

"After obtaining an even surface by means of the rasp, the sharp 
edges of the wall should be rounded off with the same instrument, 
otherwise there is a great risk of its splitting, and an unsound part 
being produced. 

V. The Proper Medium as to the Horny Covering. 

"Too little horn will neither retain a shoe nor protect the foot ; excess 
or irregularity will more or less interfere with the action of foot and 
limb. How are we to judge of the requisite medini? It is impossible 
to answer this question directly. It must be left to the judgment and 
experience of the farrier guided by true principles. The wall is the 
chief part we have to attend to. Protected by a shoe it grows exces- 
sively long and requires reduction about once a month. 

The growth is most evident at the toe, which becomes long; here, 
then, more than at other parts, we must remove the horn. It is im- 
portant not to reduce the depth too much, and it is equally important 
to reasonably curtail the length. In all light horses this is easily 
effected by running the rasp round the edges of the wall at the toe. 
With heavy, big-footed horses, what is called a toeing-knife is used. 
This instrument consists of a steel blade about twelve inches lonii'. 



284 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



and is used in connection with the hammer to chip off the hard outer 
edge, after wliich the work is finished with the rasp. The toeiug- 
knife is too often abused, the hoof being excessively reduced. This, 
however, may be said of all other instruments. The heels must not 
be neglected, as upon their due proportion depends not only the 
proper position of the foot, but the integrity of the frog. Overgrown 
heels are always accompanied by a more or less wasted frog. The 
freedom of the frog is the best guide to the depth of heel. 

VI. Lowering the Heels. 
"The wall being at heel and toe reduced to its proper level, the bars 
will be seen to afford a useful addition to the bearing surface. They 
should never be cut awa}^, as with the adjoining portion of sole they 
form a perfoct safeguard against any curling in of the wall — against, 
in fact, the well-known contraction of the foot. What is called 
<'opening heels" consists of cutting out a wedge-shaped piece of horn 




HOOF KNIVES. 



from between the heels and frog. The portion removed is either a 
part of the wall at its posterior angle, or a part of the lateral exten- 
sion of the frog to join the frog-band. It may be a piece of both. 
In any case the practice is useless and mischievous. Even in the 
contracted foot there is no active constrictive agent requiring division 
— merely a passive closing in of the heels for want of proper resisting 
body. This body is the frog and the horn between it and the wall. 
Instead then of "opening the heels" — which, though at the time 
gives a deceptive appearance of width to the foot, whilst it is pro- 
ductive of real evil, especially the one it is supposed to remedy — we 
should rest contcnit with lowering them, whilst we preserve the bars 
and allow of functional activity in the frog. 

VII. Don't Pare the Sole. 
"The wall being sufficiently lowered will show us any superfluity of 
horn on the sole. For, thougli tiie sole of an unshod horse will pre- 



THE ART or SHOEING. 285 

serve itself of a proper bulk by exfoliation, yet when shod, it, like the 
wall, becomes overgrown. The shoe is an impediment to the natural 
changes, semi-detached portions being protected and detained. 
These, when the wall is made proportionate, are released, and may 
be removed. A strong sole is necessary for protection to the foot, 
and that it may sustain its proper share of the weight-bearing func- 
tion. But we want a sufficiency, not a superfluity^ of horn ; so we 
remove all loose portions, the presence of which does not add to the 
strength of the part, and which may be accounted as so much foreign 
matter. 

"In no case should the sole be pared out. The order to 'well pare 
out the foot' indicates ignorance of any true knowledge of shoeing. 
The paring of the sole presupposes that a thin sole is natural. This 
can only be if the theory of expansion of the foot and flattening of 
the sole taking place during progression be true, and I trust I have 
before satisfactorily refuted such a notion. By repeated parings the 
sole becomes hard and smooth on its surface, dpes not exfoliate in 
small flakes, but will grow until an entire layer is thrown off e7i masse. 
This event takes place in from three to six months, after which the 
growing sole detaches flakes naturall}^ if left to itself. The loose 
flakes, then, should be broken off with the point of the 'buffer,' 
and not smoothly cut out. Paring the sole is productive of another 
evil not generally noted. Eemoval of horn from its central part 
weakens the arch, denuding the sensitive foot of its proper pro- 
tection, but removal of horn from its circumference or attached 
border destroys the abutment and limits bearing entirely to the wall. 

VIII. As to the Frog, and Over-Reduced Feet. 

"The frog should be left to its natural decay. Not being protected 
by a shoe, it comes, or should come, in contact with the ground, and 
is preserved of proper bulk by wear. Although the frog is bene- 
fited by contact with the ground, and the horse's action is improved 
by utilizing the function of the frog, it is irrational and mischievous 
to over-reduce the heels with a view of hastening the contact. In a 
well prepared foot the frog should stand above the level of the heels 
in proportion to the thickness of the shoe; but the condition must 
be brought about gradually, not by violence. 

"Insufficiency of horny covering at any part of the foot renders 
the internal structures liable to be injured by contusions and sharp 
substances, as stones, glass, nails, etc. InsufHciencv of hornv cov- 



286 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

ering, where the shoe takes a bearing, may lead to acute injury by 
pressure, but as often allows just such an amount of continuous but 
slight pressure to take place as impairs the action and injures the 
margin of the coffin-bone. 

"It is a well-known fact that bone is readily absorbed by continuous 
pressure, and the examination of coffin bones shows how very fre- 
quently they suffer from this cause. An over-reduced foot suffers 
from apparently trifling inequalities in a shoe, whilst a strong foot is 
capable of resisting all but the most outrageous endeavors of the 
farrier. 

IX. Correct Belationship of Foot and Limb. 

"The bearing surface, though level, sound, and strong, may be posi- 
tively injurious. We require not only a good natural bearing, but a 
foot in proper proportion, and in correct relationship to the limb. 
These conditions are obtained when both sides of the foot are even, 

and when the horn at toe and 
heel is of proper relative height. 
The accompanying diagram, rep- 
resenting a side view of a hoof, 
will show better than any descrip- 
tion how easily, in forming the 
bearing surface, a disproportion- 
ate foot may be produced. The 
outermost lines show a regular 

Illustrating how easily a disproportionate foot , . p , mi t 

may be produced. '^»t OVergTOWU foot. The ImC 

A B marks the lower surface 

of a proportionate one, and the dotted lines show how, by unduly 

reducing either toe or heel, a positive deformity may be produced. 

Between these extremes such a want of proportion may exist as to 

cause injury varying in degree from defective action to positive 

lameness. Correct relationship of foot and limb is most essential to 

good action. The bones of the limb are the passive organs of h)co- 

motion. They are arranged in such directions and at such angles to 

each other as are most conducive to ease and freedom of movement, 

and they are maintained in their positions by ligaments and tendons 

which, when once interf erred with, resume their normal conditions 

very slowly. 

X. To Secure a Proportionate Foot. 

"A proportionate foot may be defined as one that has lioth sides 
even, and a })ro[)er relative height of heel and toe. As a rule a foot 




DIAGRAMMATIC STDE-VIEW OF FOOT. 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 287 

proportionate in all its parts will harmonize with the position and 
action of the limb. A proportionate foot, however, is not always 
accompanied by a well-formed limb, and a well-formed limb has 
sometimes an ill-shapen foot. A good farrier then should have 
sufficient knowledge to make allowances for natural deficiencies of 
form, and not endeavour to modify a faulty limb by producing a dis- 
proportionate foot. Such tricks as trying to improve the appearance 
of straight pasterns, b}^ unduly lowering the heels, are irrational, and 
only predispose to injury. A proportionate foot cannot be obtained 
by following any mathematical rules. For instance, it is true that 
the front of the wall should run at an angle of about 50°, but he 
would commit frequent errors who attempted to reduce all feet to 
this standard. It has been laid down as a dogma that when the horn 
at the toe presented less obliquity than that just mentioned, we must 
attempt to reach it by lowering the heels. There are manj^ "straight' ' 
feet in which this obliquity could not be produced if we entirely de- 
nuded the heels of horn. In approximating the relative height of 
heel and toe, we must be guided not only by the obliquity of the wall, 
but by the amount of horny covering at the heels, and bear in mind 
that excessive depth of wall at the toe produces the same result as 
deficiency at the heels. 

XI. Treatment of Overgrown Feet. 

"In an overgrown foot the toe becomes long and the heels high. 
This entails many disadvantages, — the frog is removed from bearing; 
the long toe increases the difficulties of progression, puts a strain on 
the back tendons, and predisposes to stumbling; the whole foot is out 
of position as a supporting base, the centre of bearing being too far 
forward. These conditions are of frequent occurence in stables 
where the owner thinks the horse should onl}^ be re-shod when the 
shoes are worn out. Attendance at the forge should depend not upon 
the condition of the shoes so much as upon the state of the feet. 

"As a horse should not be re-shod under an interval of three weeks, 
so he should always have his feet 'put into position' at least once 
every four or five weeks. By putting an overgrown foot into propor- 
tion we get a better bearing-surface, a firmer sustaining base, and a 
position favorable to easy and safe progression. The heels of a foot 
must not be left so high as to interfere with the bearing of a sound 
frog. They require reduction, as a rule, if the angle of horn between 
the wall and bars presents a line of separation, and they should 



288 THE AMERICAN FARMEk'S HORSE BOOK. 

not be further reduced when the frog has perfect freedom. The toe 
should be reduced so as to leave a sutficiently strong layer of horn 
for bearing. It is of greater importance to reduce the length than 
depth of toe, and this is easily done by working the rasp round the 
edge of the toe. The best indications for arriving at a proper rela- 
tive height of heel and toe are the obliquity of the wall in front and 
the freedom of the frog — the details must be left to the experience 
of the workman. 

XII. Have the Sides of the Foot Left Even. 

"A gross evil of common occurence, for which there is no excuse, 
consists in leaving one side of the foot higher than the other; both 
sides should be of even height. This seems simple, but from the man- 
ner in which the foot is held by the farrier its reduction on one side 
is easier than on the other. It will generally be found that the inside 
of an off and the outside of a near foot are the lowest. These sides 
are, with the majority of men, easiest to work at with the rasp ; the 
opposite obtains with left-handed men. One evil of this lateral in- 
equality is, that when a shoe is attached it is apt to shift tow^ards 
the highest side of the foot, producing a degree of pressure against 
the sensitive foot by the nails in the lower side. Another evil is, 
that the twist given in the foot affects the fetlock joint, throwing it 
out of position, thus rendering 'cutting' probable. If this lateral 
inequality be continued for any length of time, a more or less lasting 
deformity of the coronet results, the coronary band being pushed up- 
wards on the higher side. Instead of the rule that the bearing- 
surface should be transverse to the pastern, it is more correct to say 
that the horn should be of even height on both sides of the foot. 
This evil cannot be remedied at once ; the higher side must be reduced 
gradually at two or three shoeings. In some cases the lower side is 
very much over-reduced, and the higher side only just strong enough 
to support a shoe ; we must then wait for the foot to grow before 
taking any measures for rectifying the evil. 

XIII. Characteristics of the Shoe. 

"The objects to be gained by any particular form or pattern of 
.shoe are that it be light, easily and safely retained by few nails, cap- 
able of wearino; three weeks or a month, and that it afford good foot- 
hold. According to the employment of an animal, certain of these 
objects bet'oiuc more essential than others; therefore, Avhilst endeav- 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 289 

oring to retain all, we give a greater prominence to the desideratum 
— lightness for the race-horse, stability for the hunter, and firm foot- 
hold for the draft-horse. For carriage and light draft-horses, shoes 
are often modified in form. 

"The weight of shoes should depend upon the amount of wear re- 
quired. The lighter the shoe, the better for the animal; but, as 
frequent removal of shoes is most injurious to the foot, we must have 
sufiicient substance to last at least three weeks. A shoe may be 
heavy, and yet not a good wearer. The metal must be properly dis- 
tributed, the greatest amount of iron being where the greatest wear 
takes place. We can increase the amount of iron either by adding to 
the width or thickness of a shoe. Either extreme is objectionable. 
A very thick shoe raises the foot too far from the ground, and 
throws the frog out of action. A very wide shoe does not give an 
increase of wear in proportion to its greater weight, and it allows the 
retention of stones in the foot. No shoe need be over half an inch 
thick, and few over one inch wide. 

"The thickness should be the same throughout, so as to preserve 
the level of the foot. The width should be greatest at the toe, to 
meet the extra amount of wear at that point, and gradually lessened 
towards the heels, which must be narrow, to allow the shoe to fit 
close to the foot, and yet not impinge upon the frog. 

XIV. Foot and Ground- Surfaces of the Shoe. 

"The surfaces of a shoe are two: the foot-surface, which must 
afford the best possible bearing for the hoof, and the ground-surface, 
which should afford an easy tread and a firm foothold. The foot- 
surface of well-made shoes now in use is either flat, or what is called 
'seated,' i.e., flat from the outer edge for a space about equal to the 
width of the wall, and then sloped off or beveled to the inner edge. 
In both cases the bearing-surface is level ; the difference is in its ex- 
tent. The flat shoe takes a bearing not only on the wall, but also on 
the portion of sole immediately related to it. The seated shoe con- 
fines the bearing to the wall alone. Should the sole receive any 
pressure? By its abutment it forms a part of the natural bearing- 
surface of the foot, and we know that the nutrition and development 
of a part depends greatly upon the activity of its function. There- 
fore the abutment of the sole should be utilized as bearing-surface. 
By so doing, we obtain a stronger, more extensive, and firmer rest- 
19 



290 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



ing-place for a shoe, and at the same time we give functional activity 
to the sole. We attain these advantages only by using a shoe with a 
level bearing-surface at least double the width of the wall. 

"The ground-surface of shoes varies considerable in form. Every- 
thing else being equal, the greater the surface of iron in contact 
with the ground, the greater the facilities for slipping. The ordinary 
fullered shoe presents too extensive a surface, and consequently 
is objectionable. The ground-surface may be formed into ridges, 
grooves and notches, all of wdiich are said to afford 'grip.' 

"In short, the best shoe is one flat on the foot-surface, but con- 
cave and fullered on the ground. Such a shoe will suit all horses, if 
only altered in size and w^eight. Hind shoes may be left flat on both 
surfaces, and if not supplied with calkins should be of even thickness 

throughout, 

XV. Calkins and Claws. 

"Calkins is the name given to the turned-down heels of shoes. 
They are used when circumstances require a very firm foothold, as 

y/yyvz^ for instance on paved streets, 
^^ or to hold back heavy loads. 
-^ They are very effectual, but 
are open to objections. When 
the frog conies fairly to the 
ground sufiicient firmness of 
foothold is obtained for all 




TWO FORMS OF CALKINS. 

The lower and broader of these is much the better. 



light work. Never, then, use 
calkins unless the requisite firmness of foothold cannot be obtained 
with a level shoe. If they are indispensable, see that they are formed 
in the best manner. The higher the calkin is made, the worse for 
the limb and for the w^ear of the shoe. Let them be made low and 
square (see contrast in cut), and increase the breadth rather than the 
height if wear requires more substance. If calkins are used, have 
them on both heels, and let them be of equal height; the inner one 
may be a little narrower than the. outer. A 'wedge' heeled or one- 
heeled shoe possesses no advantages whatever, but really predisposes 
to insecurity of tread, 

"Heavy draught-horses require not only calkins, but a toe-piece, or, 
as it has been called a 'claw.' This claw consists of a piece of iron, 
about three-quarters of an inch square, welded transversely across the 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 291 

toe of the shoe. Armed with toe-piece and calkins, the shoe does not 
interfere with the level of the foot, and it gives the lirmest possible 
foothold on paved streets, either when drawing or backing a load, 
ascending or descending hills. The accompanying figure shows a side 




SIDE-VIEW OF SHOE. 
Showing level bearing of shoe, provided Mith calkins and claw, on the ground. 

view. It is the only rational method of shoeing heavy draught- 
horses for work on paved streets. 

XVI. The Shoes for Carriage Horses, Hacks, etc. 

"Caia'iage horses and those used in light vehicles never require 
calkins on the fore-shoes, but when the vehicle is heavy the hind 




HIND AND FRONT SHOES FOR CARRIAGE HORSES. 

shoes should have them, as nothing else affords the same hold in 
descending hills, or when 'pulling up.' Those figured above are use- 
ful forms. 

"Hunters and hacks maybe safely shod with level shoes all round, 
providing the frogs are in contact with the ground. The fore shoes 



292 THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

should be concave on the ground-surface and fullered, vaiying in 
width and substance in proportion to the wear expected. The hind 
shoes should also be fullered, and, in the case of hunters, made con- 




HIND AND FRONT SHOES FOR HUNTERS, ETC. 

cave, especially at the toe, so as to prevent over-reaching'. The 
figure shows this form of hind shoe pretty well. 

XVII. The Nails and Nailing On. 

"Space will not allow us to consider fully the nails and nail-holes, 
but it may be snid briefly that the holes should be punched straight 
through the shoe, neither inclined inwards nor outwards. They 
ought not to be clustered all together round the toe, nor placed, 
if possible, behind the middle of the shoe. Each hole should be 
at least an inch from any other, and they should be placed so that the 
nails will take a firm and safe hold of the horn. The toe-nails should 
be coarsest the furthest from the outer edge of the shoe, and the 
heel-nails finest. This arrangement is needed, as the wall of the 
hoof is thickest at the toe, and bec(nnes graduallv thinner towards 
the heel. The nails should be selected so that their heads exactly 
fill the holes into which they are driven, conseijuently the size of 
nail-hole should be nicely proportioned to the shoe, or else too large 
a nail will bo used. The shank of a nail should be fiat and broad, 
so as neither to split the wall, nor press upon the sensitive foot. 

XVIII. Clips and Other Preliminaries to Fitting the Shoe. 
"Having selected a shoe suitable for the class of horse and the 
condition of foot — liu'lit for a strong foot, heavier for a weak one — 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 293 

it is made hot, the nail-holes are cleared out and the clips drawn 
where required, preliminary to the important step of fitting. The 
object of clearing out the nail-holes is to allow a free passage for the 
nail. The too common custom of 'back pritcheling' — driving the 
pritchel or punch through the hole from its narrowest opening — is 
not conducive to such an end, as it is apt to leave a ridge in the hole, 
which prevents the nail-head from exactly filling it, and may cut the 
nick of the nail, thus causing loose shoes. Clips are thin triangular 
processes drawn from the outer edge of the shoe at right angles to 
the bearing surface. They increase the security of a shoe, and pre- 
vent its shifting on the foot. The best position for them is at the 
toe, where the foot presents its greatest thickness of horn. As 
a rule, one clip is quite sufiicient, though on the hind shoes of 
hacks and hunters two — one on each side of the toe — are often used. 
They give a little more firmness and allow of the shoe being less prom- 
inent in front when 'clacking' or over-reaching are to be feared. 
An additional clip on the outside quarter may be applied to shoes to 
prevent their shifting inwards. It is an allowable precaution with 
horses liable to 'cut,' and it is necessary with some horses of ir- 
regular action that twist the foot in going, or wear mostl}^ on the 
outside, as when spavined. The usual practice of cutting a deep 
notch in the edge of the wall, into which to imbed the clip, is objec- 
tionable. The round edge should only be rendered flat, and the clip 
laid on not in the horn. If the Avail be very brittle or much broken, 
the clip should be large, so as to rest against sound horn. Harm is 
more frequently done by small than large clips. 

"The next step is to approximate the length of the shoe to the 
heels of the foot. A shoe is always chosen a trifle longer than the 
foot, and the superflous portion cut off. This should be done so as 
to leave the extremity rounded from side to side, and sloping in the 
same direction as the heels of the foot — obliquely downwards and 
forwards. No shoe should be shorter than the foot, and the fore 
shoe should never be longer, as it is then liable to be pulled off by 
the hind foot, or to injure the elbow when the animal lies down. A 
hind shoe may be rather longer than the foot, and so should all shoes 
having calkins. 

XIX. Comparative Unimportance of Outline Fitting. 
"Outline fitting, or correspondence of the circumference of the 
shoe with the outline of the foot, is much overrated. It is an error 



294 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

to think that perfect correspondence of outline denotes good fitting. 
One of the worst of shoes — one too small — can, by rasping away the 
horn, be made to fit exactly. We do not depreciate the absolute 
value of outline fitting, but to guard horsemen against the idea that 
it is a useful criterion of the quality of work. Its value is quite in- 
sio'nificant when compared with the fitting of the bearing-surfaces. 
Shoes should be fitted slightly full on the foot, on the principle that 
the base should be greater than the column. Although as a rule, the 
shoe should follow the course of the edge of the wall, being, in fact, 
a direct continuation of it, there are cases in which some departure 
from this is necessar3^ When the bearing-surface is of less diameter 
than the wall above, as in cases of weak heels, we bring the shoe out 
equal to the widest part of the hoof. Again, when the foot is 
raised from the ground by calkins, we fit the shoe somewhat wider 
at the heels, believing that thus is obtained a firmer supporting base 
and surer foothold. 

XX. Avoid Wrong Shoeing in Anticipation of Evil. 
"By way of anticipating evil, shoes are sometimes fitted on very 
wrono- principles. Lest a horse should 'cut,' some men regularly 
apply a shoe straight from the inside toe to the quarter, leaving a 
protruding portion of horn, which is finally rasped off, and the foot 
weakened. Thus, for the prevention of a remote injury, one nearly 
as bad is resorted to. Doubtless, prevention is better than cure, but 
here the doctrine is reduced to an absurdity. With the hind shoes of 
hacks and hunters, a common proceeding consists in leaving the shoe 
too short, and then with a rasp removing the horn at the toe. The 
foot, in fact, is fitted to what is called a square-toed shoe, an arrange- 
ment useful in some cases of 'clacking' and overi^eaching. We pro- 
test ao-ainst these forms and methods specially adapted for abnormal 
conditions being acknowledged as sound common usage for all horses. 

XXI. Good Surface Fitting Most of all Essential.. 
"Surface fitting, the adaptation of the bearing-surfaces of foot and 
shoe, is certainly the portion of the art upon which mostly depends 
the success of the whole operation. From toe to heel the shoe, on a 
sound foot, should have an even bearing, every part taking an equal 
share. There is a notion that the heels of a horse's foot are weaker 
than either quarter or toe, and it is conunonly said that 'pressure on 
the heels causes corns.' Byway of preventing this evil the shoe is 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 



295 



'sprung' or 'eased' off the heels, so that the last inch or more 
takes no bearing on the foot, A shoe so fitted is an unmitigated evil. 
In addition to the loss of so much good bearing-surface it submits the 
foot to an increased and abnormal pressure on one sjjot, the quarters, 
where the real bear ina-surf ace of the shoe ceases. The evil is greater 
in proportion to the extent of surface without a bearing, such part 
acting as a lever on the point where shoe and foot are lirmly in con- 
tact, thus keeping a constant strain on the last nails, and throwing an 
increased amount of pressure on a part of the hoof relatively weak. 
"The bearing-surface of a shoe should throughout be perfectly 
flat across, as in Fig. 1. The seated shoe usually presents too narrow 






no. 1. FIG. 2, FIG. 3. 

SECTIONAL VIEWS OF SHOE AND POINT OF FOOT. 

a bearing-surface, as in Fig. 2, and not unfrequently we find it in a 
form positively injurious. When a shoe is extra 'well seated,' the 
surface is sloped or beveled inwards from the outer edge as in Fig. 3. 
Such a shoe offers no true bearing-surface, and frequently causes 
lameness by compressing the foot. Sometimes a shoe is fitted just 
the opposite to this, the surface inclining from within outwards. 
This form may cause lameness by forcing asunder the heels of the 
foot. A mild adaptation of it has long been used for the express 
purpose of widening the heels of the foot. It is unsafe, and achieves 
nothing which cannot be as surely done by a well-fitted shoe. 

XXII. The Final Putting On. 
"To obtain the exactness of fit so essential to good shoeing, the 
shoe is first taken to the foot and compared with it. It is then 
heated, the heels cut off or turned down, as the case may be, 
to the proper length, and each limb of the shoe is approxi- 
mated to its side of the foot. Thus foot and shoe are brought to 
the same form, as near as the eye of a workman can tell; still there 



296 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

are certain to be some irregularities, to detect which the red hot shoe 
is applied to the foot for a few seconds, when all the points of con- 
tact are marked hy the scorching of the horn. If the shoe is at fault, 
it is taken back to the anvil and remedied. If the foot be uneven, 
the too prominent parts are carefully reduced by the rasp. This 
operation may be repeated until there is an exact co-aptation of the 
two surfaces, an event ordinarily obtained by a good workman in two 
examinations. 

Cold and Hot Fitting. — "Engineers, in fitting two surfaces, make 
use of some colored material to show the points of contact. If this 
were done by a farrier, it would necessitate the alteration of the shoes 
cold, which cannot be done with exactness. Fitting a shoe whilst it 
is hot is the only way of obtaining a speedy and perfect co-aptation 
of foot and shoe. It is perfectly harmless, as the shoe is only re- 
tained in apposition with the hoof sufficiently long to mark the horn, 
and horn is one of the worst conductors of heat. Hot-fitting is often 
abused, the shoe being made to burn itself a bed on the foot, even 
though the shoe be ill-shapen or the foot improperly prepared. For 
cold fitting we recognize in the Goodenough and other shoes one great 
advantage — a perfect level. 

XXIII. The Charlier System of Shoeing. 

"The Charlier system consists in removing so much of the lower 
border of the wall as may allow a narrow rim of iron, equal in thick- 
ness to the wall removed, to be imbedded. It is claimed for this svs- 
tem that it simply substitutes iron for horn round the lower circum- 
ference of the foot, Avhere alone wear is to be feared, and that thus 
the frog and sole are left in an unshod and natural condition. The sole 
advantage, we think, of the Charlier shoe is its lightness, unless we 
add that of the sole's being left free to preserve itself of proper 
thickness without artificial aid, which is but a very small matter in- 
deed. On the other hand, it has some positive disadvantages. 

"Its bearing is too limited, and thus the functions of the foot 
are not wholly utilized. The shoe is placed too near the sensitive 
parts; we are directed to file the internal angle of the shoe to 
prevent injurious pressure. Compare the accompanying diagrams, 
a section of the Charlier, and one of the ordinary seated shoe. 
Horses may and do go sound with it, but why run the risk when 
we can obtain all desirable results without it? A third objection is 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 



297 



that such a narrow shoe, when partly worn, is apt to spread or widen 
on the foot, as the result of contact with the ground, and to prevent 
this the heel nails are placed further back in the foot than is expe- 
dient. Finally, the narrowness of the shoe has a very bad effect on 
the nail-holes, which must be pitched or directed in towards the 





SECTION OF THE CHARLIER SHOE. 



SECTION OF THE SEATED SHOE. 



sensitive foot, otherwise the nails must be driven with so little hold 
as to risk splitting the hoof. The proper course for a nail is straight 
through the shoe and portion of horn whi^h it pierces. 

XXIV. Discard Leather Soles, Pads, etc. 
"The use of leather soles is a very injurious practice. No sub- 
stance should be applied between the foot and shoe, as it necessarily 
interferes with the exact co-aptation of hoof and iron. Leather un- 
der a shoe yields gradually to the weight of the animal, and thus in 
time clinches rise and shoes get loose. When the whole foot is cov- 
ered with a plate of leather, a mass of tar and tow is inserted be- 
tween the horny sole and the leather. This arrangement is always 
accompanied by excessive paring, and is simply a patch to remedy 
bad work. No doubt a badly fitted shoe does less injurj^ sometimes, 
when applied with an interposing layer of leather; but a well-fitted 
shoe can be applied with greater benefit without leather to any foot 
in which the sensitive structures are not positively denuded. As to 
the claim that a leather sole protects a weak foot from injury and 
concussion, a layer of horn is surely a better protection than an 
equal thickness of leather, and this can be obtained on any foot by 
four or five weeks' growth. These remarks apply with equal force 
to the use of India-rubber pads, which are not only unnecessary, but 
injurious in many cases. 

XXV. What is the Proper Interval Between Shoeings? 
"The operation of shoeing should be done at regular intervals, and 
not left till the shoes are worn out. A broken foot from the loss of 



298 THE AMEEICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

a shoe is only a possible injury resulting from over-long retention of 
shoes. There is a certain and unavoidable one — a disproportionate 
foot. When the shoes remain too long upon the feet, the heels be- 
come too high, and the toe too long; the frog is wasted, sometimes 
diseased ; a strain is imposed upon the joints and flexor tendons ; and 
tripping and stumbling are the cause of not a few broken knees. 
Shoes should not be allowed to remain on the feet over four weeks; 
if not worn out they should be taken off, and replaced after the foot 
has been reduced to due proportions. 

"On the other hand, it is injurious to have shoes removed too fre- 
quently. The mere act of fitting a shoe reduces the foot to some ex- 
tent, and what is worse, the nails being driven each time in sound 
horn, a perforated and broken state of the wall is soon induced. Dur- 
ing a frost the frequent removal of shoes, necessitated by the usual 
method of 'roughing,' causes injury to hundreds of feet, which is 
not recovered for three or four months. Shoes should not be re- 
moved under every three weeks. 

"Unshod feet become overgrown and disproportionate on a soft 
surface. But it is mistaken kindness to remove the shoes when work 
will be required again in less than six weeks. By so doing great 
risk is incurred that the feet will be injured. If the foot be re- 
duced to proper proportion, the wall may be broken so much as 
not to be again replaced in the time. On the other hand, if the foot 
is left long and allowed to grow, the frogs become diseased. 

XXVI. How to Care for the Stabled Horse's Feet. 
"In the stable, the feet of a horse properly shod and regularly 
worked, require but little attention. In very wet or very dry weather 
a little neutral ointment — say tar and tallow mixed — may be rubbed 
over both wall and sole. This application prevents wet from soaking 
into the horn, and cheeks excessive evaporation in a hot dry atmos- 
phere. Soft soap or strong alkaline ointments should never be used. 
They make the horn brittle, and so does the constant application of 
oil. 'Stopping' the feet with clay, or dirty mixtures of cow-dung, 
are looked upon as essential hygienic duties in a stal)le. Eeplaeing 
the paAcment of a stall or box by wet clay is also thought to be good 
treatment for bad, especially flat feet. Layers of felt saturated in 
water are to be found in many well-conducted ( ?) stables. The whole 
of these are useless expedients, founded on a misconception of the 
requirements of the foot. 



THE ART OF SHOEING. 299 

"The truth is that, in the stable and on hard roads, we should en- 
deavor to place the foot in as nearly as possible the same condition 
as we find it in when an animal is at liberty on a hard dry surface;. 
That moisture is not conducive to compact, well-formed feet we see in 
nature, the flat feet being a feature in animals bred on marshy land. 
That dryness is conducive to sound feet every observant horseman 
may easily satisfy himself, both with well and badly formed hoofs. 

XXVII. Care of the Horse's Feet When at Grass. 

"At grass the unshod animal requires no attention, if it but have 
sufiicient liberty to wear the hoof in proportion to the growth. 
Should it be intended to re-shoe the animal, a little attention is ad- 
visable about a month or six weeks before the time, so as to get the 
feet proportionate. It is often a question in turning horses out, 
whether to remove the shoes or not. Of course, when a number are 
together the hind shoes must for safety be removed. Unless a horse 
be turned out for at least three months, I should not remove the fore 
shoes. If turned out with the shoes on, the feet should be attended 
to every month. 

"Shoes applied to horses turned out for the season should be as 
light as possible, and cover the whole bearing-surface of the wall. 
Tips are a good appliance, but care must be taken to remove them 
regularly, as they cause greater deformity by long retention than 
shoes. If the shoes are removed, the foot should be made proportion- 
ate — a little greater depth of wall being left for shoeing, and, what 
is very important, the edges of the wall should be rounded off with 
the rasp, so as to reduce the chances of splitting." 



CHAPTER XXI. 
DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 



I. INFLAMMATION OF THE JOINTS. II. OPEN JOINTS. III. RHEUMATIC 

JOINTS. IV. DISLOCATIONS IN GENERAL. V. DISLOCATION OF THE PA- 
TELLA, OR STIFLE-JOINT.^ VI. BOG SPAVIN. VII. THOROUGH-PIN. 

VIII, BLOOD SPAVIN. IX. WIND-GALLS, OR WIND-PUFFS. X. KNUCK- 
LING, OR STANDING OVER. 

I. Inflammation ol the Joints. 

Inflammation, while attacking all the different joints of the body, is 
most frequently seen in those especially exposed — the joints of the 
knee, hock, stifle, pastern and shoulder — following blows, sprains, 
punctures, etc. In ordinary cases, the inflammation subsides in 
course of time, and the joint is restored to its previous healthy state; 
but not infrequently the disease continues, the cartilages on the ends 
of the bones are absorbed, and the two ends unite, forming a stiff 
(ankylosed) joint; or it may be there is a bony deposit in or around 
the joint, eventuating in a deformed articuhition, with more or less 
stiffness, or a lameness that proves incurable. 

Symptoms. — Swelling, heat and pain; and the joint is carried so as 
to avoid movement, on account of the pain thereby occasioned. In 
many cases, and especially of open joint, the leg is kept moving, and 
frequently it is held up off the ground. 

Treatment. — When this trouble is of recent origin, the treatment 
most advisable is to shower with cold water, by tying a hose over the 
part and allowing the water to flow for an hour at a time, and this 
several times daily, afterwards using the Soothing Lotion No. o, and 
keeping the joint perfectly still. When the disease shows a tendency 
to become chronic, more energetic measures are needed, and then 
Mixed Blister No. 10 should be rubbed in thoroughly. Let the ani- 
mal rest for a month or so. 

II. Open Joints. 

These constitute a very serious class of cases. Briefly described, 
they consist of a wound extending into the joint, thus allowing a dis- 

300 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 301 

chargeof the joint oil (synovia). This latter, in health, is a clear, straw- 
colored fluid, with an oily feeling when rubbed between the fingers. 
It is secreted by the membrane lining the walls of the joint, its im- 
portant use being to lubricate the joints, thus facilitating their varied 
and long-continued movements, and keeping them in a healthful con- 
dition. 

Symptoms, — The wound or opening into the joint is, of course, 
plainly visible. The secretion of joint oil is greatly increased in quan- 
tity by any inflammation in the surrounding parts, and when the 
inside of a joint is exposed to the air, there is a change in its charac- 
ter; it becomes thicker, until by and by it is mixed Avith pus, blood, 
and finally the remains of broken-down structures, such as the carti- 
lage and the bones. In this stage the discharge will be quite offen- 
sive, and in old cases the pus may also burrow along the tissues 
around the joint. A fracture of the bones in connection with the 
joint is frequently seen in bad cases, and proves a very serious com- 
plication. In all these different forms of open joint, there is usually 
some sympathetic fever, which may, perhaps, be so severe as to affect 
the appetite and make the breathing hard, the sufferer evincing his 
distress by great restlessness, and, if it continues for a few days, 
by falling off greatly in condition. 

A false open joint is frequently seen, especially at the knee, after 
severe falls, the cut then received opening the small sack containing 
the fluid for lubricating the tendons that pass these points. There 
is then a discharge of oil, but the case is altogether less serious than 
the true open joint. 

The outcome of an open joint, if well and promptly treated, is often 
very favorable, the joint assuming its former condition. When pus 
forms, however, the termination, if not fatal, is either by ankylosis 
or by the formation of bony deposits around the articulation; and in 
either event there will be a stiff joint. Ankylosis will occasion the 
greater stiffness, but the bony growths will, besides stiffness, cause 
troublesome lameness by interference in the joint's movements. 

To recapitulate, the farmer may recognize an open joint by its 
being a wound over an articulation ; by a continuous discharge of the 
straw-colored and slippery-feeling joint oil, which discharge is de- 
cidedly more plentiful on movement ; by the great pain and swelling ; 
and in old cases by the discharge of pus, which will smell particularly 
bad when dead bone or cartilage is present. 



302 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Treatment. — The first necessity is complete rest of the joint, which 
will best be secured by using slings. Place a plaster of Paris cast 
over the whole leg, leaving an opening opposite the cut. Then clip 
the hair off around the edges of the wound, and wash it thoroughly 
with plenty of our prescription No. 13, or No. 1. In recent cases, 
with a clear discharge and a large wound, try and stitch the edges 
together, afterwards binding on a pad of cotton batting soaked in No. 
13. This must be kept on continuously to exclude the air, thus help- 
ing to prevent suppuration; besides, the lotion has the power of 
coagulating the joint oil, and thus plugging the opening. This treat- 
ment must be continued until a complete union has been effected. 
When the wound is small, a blister, or the firing iron, applied over the 
wound, is a very good expedient, as the resulting swelling will be 
likely to close the opening. Always, when pus has formed, the open- 
ing must be left free to allow its escape. Still, when the stage of 
suppuration is reached, it is a grave question whether to attempt 
further treatment or not; for the very best that can then be hoped 
for is an ankylosed, a permanently stiff, joint. The intelligent farmer 
will, in most such cases, probably decide to relieve the poor creature 
of his sufferings at once. 

III. Rheumatic Joints. 

Kheumatic joints are most frequently seen among foals, especially 
in the neighborhood of the sea-coast; but old horses anywhere that 
have been hard worked, and at the same time subjected to great ex- 
posure and badly cared for, are likewise subject to them. They may 
also be seen as a sequel of debilitating diseases, where, owing to the 
imperfect discharge of some function or other of the organs, there is 
an accumulation of morbid products in the blood. 

Symptoms. — The attendant lameness will be noticed to shift from 
one part of the bodj^ to another, as, for instance, from the shoulder 
to the fetlock; or it may temporarily disappear, only to return in 
some other locality, settling ultimately in some such spot as the foot, 
hock, or knee. In the foot its manifestation resembles navicular dis- 
ease, wdiile in the front leg or on the hock there will be osteophytes 
formed, or dropsical swellings, or in the hocks perhaps bog spavin, 
thorough-pin, or the like. 

Treatment. — AYhcn occurring in old horses as a sequel of some 
debilitating disease, give Purgative Pill No. 18, change the diet to 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 303 

soft, nutritious food, Iveep warm, and allow moderate exercise. To 

counteract the disease, give either of the following preparations: 

No. 22. Salicylic acid, l,io ounces. 

Liquor ammonia acetate, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Warm the mixture and give, in form of a drench, a wineglassful 

in a little water, four times a day. 

No. 23. Powdered colcliicum, 2J4 ounces. 

Nitrate of potash, 2 ounces. 

Mix. 

Divide into 12 parts, and give one in the feed, or on the tongue, 
four times a day. 

If the joints are sore, rub in the strong Stimulating Liniment No. 6. 

Chronic cases are very unsatisfactory to treat, especially when they 
settle in the foot. For such use the Oil Blister No. 8 around the 
coronet, and the same general treatment as for other cases. 

Foals thus affected recover quicker than older animals. Give them 
a loose box with ))lenty of soft bedding, apply bandages to the legs, 
and for the sore joints use the Soothing Lotion No. 3. The balance of 
the treatment will be the same as for older horses, only reduced accord- 
ing to the age. 

IV. Dislocations in General. 

When the articular end of a lione is displaced from its proper 
situation in the joint, we call it a dislocation, and this may be either 
partial or complete. Although very frequent among mankind, this sort 
of injury is comparatively rare in animals. In all dislocations, and 
especially in joints possessing a variety of motions, there will be 
found more or less laceration of the surroundino- tissues. In com- 
plete dislocations the end of the bone will tear the capsule of the 
joint. As a sequel of this, there may be changes in the joint; a new 
articulation may be formed, the head of the bone wearing a smooth 
surface, which acts as a socket, thus allowing of the various move- 
ments required in the natural uses of the part involved. The most 
common dislocations occur at the stifle, fetlock and knee; the shoulder 
and hip are very rarely dislocated, and when they are, there is usually 
a fracture of some of the bones. The condition called "knucklino" 
of the fetlocks is one form of partial dislocation. We shall consider 
it fully a few pages later. 

v. Dislocation of the Patella, or Stifle-Joint. 
This is altogether the most common dislocation to Avhich the horse 
is subject ; the stifle is said to have been slipped, or to be out of place. 



304 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



However, to "stifle," as it is called for short, is often attributed 
troubles of quite a different kind. Any sudden, obscure lameness of 
the hind parts is apt to be accounted for, among the knowing ones, 
by saying, "the stifle is out," simply for want of abetter explanation. 
Causes. — In young horses "stifle" occurs from allowing the feet to 
grow too long at the toes, or from grazing on hilly ground, or from 
standing in a stall whose floor is too sloping. In all these cases the 
structures supporting the patella bone gradually lose their tone, the 
ligaments become loose, and the bone readily slips out of its socket. 
Debility, after a long illness, may bring on the same conditions and 
the same result. 

Symptoms. — In the beginning, the dislocation may be very slight, 
the bone appearing to simply move too freely in its socket; how-ever, 

this trouble increases — the 
bone gradually slips fur- 
ther and further, and in 
time it will move out of, 
and then back into, the 
socket, producing a pecu- 
liar clicking kind of sound. 
While the horse is stand- 
ing still, the leg may rest 
naturally, but as soon as 
he begins to move it, his 
control over it is lost; it will fly backwards, with the fetlock greatly 
flexed, as shown by the illustration. The patella bone can be felt, 
in the great majority of cases, on the outside of the joint, rarely on 
the inside. Some animals that possess great control over the mus- 
cles of the hips are able to return the leg to the ground, but the 
trouble recurs again just as soon as they try to walk. 

Treatment. — Place an old collar around the neck, attach a rope to 
the fetlock of the foot, passing it between the front legs to the collar, 
and in this way forcibl}^ draw the leg forward, when by pressure on 
the patella it will slip in place. The leg should be held forward bv 
the rope for some hours to prevent a recurrence of the trouble. Blis- 
ters are frequently used on the joint, in order, by the resulting swel- 
ling, to prevent movement. In old cases the likelihood of reduction is 
very small, as lasting changes in the joint have probably been already 
established. 







DISLOCATION OF THE STIFLE-JOINT. 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 



505 



As a result of 




VI. Bog Spavin. 

This very common disease of the hock makes its appearance as an 
enlargement on the front and upper part of the joint, 
irritation of some kind, the membrane of the joint 
is distended by an over-secretion of joint-oil. 

Causes. — Bog spavin is a frequent sequence of ^ 
sprains, blows and other inflammations of the hock. 
It may also be seen in young, heavj^-bodied colts, 
from over-feeding, coupled with insufiicient exer- 
cise. It* is a trouble far the most common in old? 
hard worked horses. 

THOKOUGH-PIN AND 

Symptoms. — There is very seldom any lameness bog spavin. 
in the case of young animals, in whom it generally «-Thorough pm. 
disappears as the}^ grow older. But in old animals, ^-^^^s spavm. 
during the acute or forming stage, the swelling will be very sore, 
and the lameness severe, especially on starting to walk. The limb 
will be lifted with a hop, or catch, similar to 
bone spavin ; and in these cases there really is 
a liability of the inflammation extending to the 
bones and causing that ailment, or some other 
disease of the bones. The spavin is found 
at the upper part of the front of the joint, 
extending somewhat to the inside. (See illus- 
tration on page 221.) The swelling is very 
soft and puffy, and, by pressure, it may be 
pushed through to the back of the joint. 

Treatment. — For young over-fed animals, 
reduce the feed and allow more exercise. If 
the puffs still persist, apply wet bandages 
with pressure on the parts. There is a 
special and simple truss made for the pur- 
pose by instrument makers, of which the 
accompanying is a good representation. It is a useful appliance. 

In the acute or forming cases, whether in old stock or young, the 
cold shower treatment and Soothing Lotion No. 3, or Cooling Lotion 
No. 4, are indicated. If any lameness remains after the fever has 
disappeared, more severe measures are called for, namely, the Fly 
Blister No. 7, or the Absorbent Blister No. 11. This should be 
20 




BOG SPAVIN TRUSS. 



306 THE AMERICAN FARIVIEr's HORSK BOOK. 

thoroughly rubbed in all around the joint, and if there is reason to 

believe the bones have become diseased, the firing-iron should be 

used over the whole hock, and the animal given a long run at 

pasture. 

VII. Thorough-pin. 

This is an enlargement, similar in appearance to a wind-gall, con- 
sisting of distension, by synovia (joint-oil), of the sac through which 
the tendons pass. The causes of thorough-pin are the same as those 
of bog spavin. 

Symptoms. — While this condition very rarely causes any trouble, 
its prominent position makes it objectionable. It is always a blemish, 
though in most cases no more than that. The distended sac is seen 
and felt as a soft round swelling at the upper and back part of the 
hock, in the depression known as the "hollows of the hock." The 
swelling usually appears on both sides of the leg, and it is freely 
movable from one side to the other. 

Treatment, — This is called for to remove the enlargement, which 
may be successfully done by wet bandaging (pads are the proper 
thing) on each side of the swelling. The philosophy of this treat- 
ment is that the pressure in time causes absorption of the synovia to 
take place. There is a special truss manufactured for the cure of 
thorough-pin, one that is very readily appUed and removed, as de- 
sired. If any fever is present, adopt the same treatment for it as in 

bog spavin. 

VIII. Blood Spavin. 

This is a distension of the vein that passes over the front of 
the hock from below, in an oblique direction from within outward. It 
is shown in the engraving on page 221. The swollen conditiv)n may 
be a varicose state of the vein, the same that is so frc(]uently seen in 
the human race, or it may be the result of some pressure preventing 
a free flow of the blood. 

Treatment. — Treatment is hardly ever called for. Mixed Blister 
No. 10 may be applied Avith advantage. 

IX. Wind-Galls, or Wind-Puffs. 

Wind-galls are a very common fcn'm of bursal enlargement, from 
causes of the same nature, and containing the same fluid, as thorough- 
])in. They sometimes develop very quickly, especially after a hard 
drive. 

Symptoms. — These puffs are found at a point above and behind the 
fetlock, between the back tendons and bone. In some cases thev are 



DISEASES AND INJURIES OF THE JOINTS. 



307 



found to comiuimicate with the fetlock joint, and then they will be felt 
very hard when the weight is thrown on the leg. Where no such 
communication exists, they feel soft and puff3^ The swelling is gen- 
erally their only manifestation. 

Treatment. — These puffs may be prevented by hand-rubbing and 
bandaging the legs after a hard drive. If the horse gives indications 
of pain, Lotion No. 3, or No. 4, should be used. 




A CASE OF KNUCKLING OF BOTH FETLOCKS. 

Engraved for this work from a Photograph. 

To reduce the swellings, pressure with some sort of a pad, and a 
wet bandage tightly wrapped, will usually produce a good effect. 
In old cases, a good blister, as the Mixed Blister No. 10, or perhaps 
the firing-iron first and afterwards the blister, will be called for. 
This will promote the absorption of the oil and strengthen the part. 

Where they do not communicate with the joint, wind-galls are fre- 
quently punctured, but this should only be done by an experienced 
veterinarian. 



;k)8 



THE AMERICAN FARSIER S HORSE BOOIv. 



X. Knuckling, or Standing, Over. 
This is a displacement of the joint (a partial dislocation) that occurs 
principally in the knees, and in the fetlocks of both the fore and hind 
leos. When in the knees the animal is said to be "knee-sprung." 
Knuckling is found in intra-uterine life, but by the period of birth the 
limbs should have become straiglitened. A foal that cannot stand on 
its feet when three daj^s old is not of much use. 

Causes. — This condition is principally due to hard work and ex- 
posure, or, in the opinion of some horsemen, to feeding from a rack. 

It is also seen in connection with osteo- 
phyte deposits ; or in other cases as a con- 
genital defect, from contraction of the lig- 
aments at the back of the joint; or, again, 
as a result of rheumatism. 

Symptoms. — This is a very easily recog- 
nized trouble, the joint being continually 
kept in a semi-flexed shape, and in bad cases 
the knees will tremble and the horse look 
as if he would fall forward. The chiss of 
horses most affected are those used for 
light wagons and hacks, and in this kind 
of service subjected to abuses. Lameness 
is not ordinarily an accompaniment of 
knuckling, the horse working reguhu-lv, perhaps for many years. 

Treatment. — In foals, bandage the legs, and allow time for the 
parts to gain strength. In old horses, feed from the floor or allovr a 
run at pasture, at the same time applying the Oil Blister No. 8 in a 
very thorough numner. When rheumatism is suspected as a cause, 
treat as for rheumatic joints. 

The use of the apparatus shown in the accompanying illustration 
is pretty sure to be followed by great improvement, especially iu 
young animals. 




APPARATUS P^OR DEFORMED 
FETLOCK. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

DISEASES AND INJURIES OP THE MUSCLES, TENDONS AND 

CELLULAR TISSUES. 



I. ATROPHY, OK WASTING AWAY, OF A MUSCLE.— — II. BROKEN OR CUT MUS- 
CLES. III. CRAMP OF THE MUSCLES. IV. SPRAINED SHOULDER. V. 

SETONS, AND HOW TO INSERT THEM. VI. SPRAINED ELBOW. VII. 

SPRAINED TENDONS. VIII. SPRAINED FETLOCK. ^IX. SPRAINS OF THK 

HIND LEG. X. SHOULDER SLIP, OK SWEENY. XI. CAPPED ELBOW, OK 

SHOE-BOIL. XII. CAPPED HOCK. XIII. CURB. XIV. CONTRACTED 

TENDONS. XV. SWELLED LEGS. XVI. SWELLED ANKLES. 

I. Atrophy, or Wasting Away, of a Muscle, 

Atrophy, or wasting away, of a muscle is of ver}^ common occur- 
rence, both in horses and man, from want of exercise. When the 
muscle is in a condition of health its color is a beautiful red, which 
changes as soon as the wasting commences to a j^ellowish red, 
then to a fawn color, and as it gradually degenerates into a fibrous 
structure it takes on a dirty white hue. In very extreme cases the 
whole muscle has been known to turn to fat. 

Causes. — Atrophy originates from such causes as "inactivity of a 
part, obstruction of its blood vessels, failure of its own vital energy, 
continued pressure on its surface, and the process of inflammation." 
It may come about as a sequel of inflammation in au}^ niuscle, pro- 
ducing the condition popularly called "sweeny," or again, as the 
penalty of continued disuse of a muscle or set of muscles, as is well 
illustrated in certain chronic disabilities of long standing, like navicu- 
lar disease, spavin, shoulder-slip and paralysis, and also in old age. 

Treatment.— The muscle that has once degenerated to a tissue of 
lower organization can never be restored to its former state; Avhen, 
therefore, this change is just setting in, then is the time to treat and 
stop the disease. A good smart blister over the course of a muscle 
that is commencing to waste — such as Flj^ Blister No. 7, or Oil 
Blister No. 8 — is necessary. When atrophy is consequent on other 
ailments, such as navicular disease, spavin or the like, the treatment 
should, of course, be directed to their cure first. 

309 



310 



THE AMERICAN FARMER .S HORSE BOOK. 



II. Broken or Cut Muscles. 

The muscles of the body are the principal agents in the important 
functions of movement, and for this service they are endowed, as might 
be expected, with great power. In some locations they are stronger 
than even the bones, Avhich they are known to have broken by the 
intensity of their contraction. From their great number and the im- 
portant part they play in locomotion, the muscles are liable, from 
various accidents, as wounds, bruises, lacerations and violent con- 
tractions, to be broken or cut. In bruises, as a regular thing, and 
in contractions, this sort of injury occurs without any external wound 
to betray its presence. 

A broken or cut muscle is always repaired by one uniform process ; 
that is, a new material joins the two ends of the muscle, which, by 
their natural elasticity, have drawn apart. In subcutaneous breaks 




INDIA-RUBBER SYRINGE. 



(those where the skin is not cut), the muscle will heal by what is 
callsd "first intention," the two ends being united by an albuminous 
substance, without the formation of pus. When, however, the ends 
are exposed to the air, the union must be b}^ granulations, or, in 
other words, by a gradual growing together, and during this process 
there is always a formation of pus, in warm weather nearly always 
of pus in great quantities. 

As before intimated, a broken or cut nuiscle is never restored by 
the sort of nuiterial originally composing it. The repair is effected 
by a red vascular substance, which later changes to a dense white cellu- 
lar tissue constituting a "cicatrix," which divides the muscle into two 
bellies, and being smaller in size than the original substance, occa- 
sions a corresponding depression in the skin, called a "dimple." 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES, ETC. 311 

The skin, on healing, forms a hard, irreguhir looking "cicatrix," or 
"callus" mark of a reddish color when recent, but gradually turning 
white and by degrees growing smaller, until in some cases it may be 
nearly imperceptible. On these cicatrices the hair will never grow, 
owinsf to the destruction of the hair roots, but if not laro;e orig-i- 
nally they may get so small, in course of time, as to be completely 
hidden by the surrounding hair. 

Treatment. — This will consist in washing all dirt and hairs off by 
means of a rubber syringe, of which most useful and not at all ex- 
pensive article the one illustrated is a neat and handy specimen. The 
after-treatment will be the use of antiseptic solutions, as directed for 
wounds, in Chapter XXIII. 

III. Cramp of the Muscles. 

A few horses are subject to cramp, which is mostly seen in the 
hind parts. Cramp is an irritability and involuntary spasm of some 
particular muscle, or set of muscles, and is caused by a strain, or 
bruise, or in certain cases by a cause so obscure as not to be assign- 
able. Horses whose energies have been overtaxed by severe pulling 
and straining during the day, and who are compelled to stand all 
night in a narrow stall, are very likely to suffer from cramp in the 
legs. When the horse tries to move, the muscles, havina: become 
stiff and inflexible, refuse to act for a while, until the nervous energy 
is restored; and then they exhibit a spasmodic overaction that pro- 
duces cramp. The horse seems utterly powerless to control their 
action, and tney jerk and twitch in a most singular manner. The 
circulation which has been partially suspended, is soon restored by 
this exercise, and as the parts become warmed the muscles relax, and 
their pliancy and elasticity return. Cramping is very painful, and 
often leaves lameness and great soreness behind it. When this is the 
case, no pains should be spared to find the affected part, which may 
be done by pressing upon the muscles of the legs with the hand. The 
horse will wince when the tender spot is touched. 

Treatment. — This will consist in dry rubbing the leg when the 
cramp occurs. Later the painful muscles may be rubbed with the 
Soothing Lotion No. 3, or the Cooling Lotion No. 4. If the cramp 
is found to commonly leave a soreness in the muscles. Absorbent 
Blister No. 11 should be thoroughly rubbed into the sore part. 



312 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

IV. Sprained Shoulder. 

The great number of muscles iu the region of the shoulder, and the 
important part they perform in locomotion, makes this a frequent 
seat of sprains, from wrenches, over-exertion, and ill-fitting collars. 

Symptoms. — Shoulder lameness it is not always easy to assign to 
the true cause. In many cases it is very diiBcult to determine whether 
the trouble is in the shoulder or the foot. But if, when standing 
quiet, the leg is habitually advanced, with the foot resting flat on the 
ground, the trouble may safely be set down as in the shoulder; for in 
lameness of the foot that member rests customarily on the toe. By 
lifting the foot, and flexing and extending the shoulder, the different 
sets of muscles will be brought into play, and if there is soreness in 
any of them, the animal will show by his flinching in which ones it is. 
The way of carrying the leg when walking is regarded as very charac- 
teristic of this trouble; the leg is held stiff, and brought forward 
with an outward swinging of the foot, so as to keep the sore muscles 
quiet, and thus prevent pain. A dragging of the leg and stumbling- 
are often noticeable, but these are uncertain indications, since the}^ 
also characterize lameness of other parts. 

Treatment — In the beginning use hot or cold water, bathing the 
part for half an hour at a time. Afterwards rub in Soothing Lotion 
No. 3, or the weak Stimulating Liniment No. 5. Be sure to allow the 
horse complete rest, as atrophy, or wasting of the muscle, is liable to 
set in if he is kept at work. 

In chronic cases insert a seton over the sore part, leaving it in 
place for three weeks. Wet it occasionally with a little turpentine and 
move it twice a day. Do not neglect this, as it is very important 
that pus be not allowed to collect and burrow under the skin. 

V. Setons, and How to Insert Them. 
A seton may be made of nny sort of linen or cotton, but a piece of 
f-inch tape is the best. To insert a seton, the skin should be })inched 
up, and a small cut made with a knife, or ordinary scissors, at the 



SETON NEKDLE 

points above and below as re<]uired. The seton needle, holding the 
tape, is then passed under the skin, and the ends tied together, or 
two small pieces of stick ti(Ml on, to ])i"cvent the tape fi'om comincr 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLfilS, ETC. 313 

out. The horse's head should be secured to prevent his biting the 

seton. For this purpose use whichever is the more convenient — the 

neck cradle, or the side rod, as illustrated elsewhere. Firing and 

blistering are other expedients resorted to at times over the sprained 

muscles. 

VI. Sprained Elbow. 

Owing to its prominence and the large muscles in its neighborhood, 
the region of the elbow is particularly exposed to sprains, as well as 
bruises. When it is cut or torn in connection with bruises, air is 
likely to be sucked under the skin, causing great swelling, which may 
even extend as far as the head; but this is readily gotten rid of by 
making small punctures in the skin, and pressing it out. While not 
all the air can thus be expelled, the remainder will be absorbed. 

Elbow lameness makes the horse stand with the knees flexed, and 
on trotting him the parts drop a great deal from the pain it occasions, 
In some instances the leg is dragged in a manner similar to that in 
shoulder lameness. 

The treatment is the same as that just given for sprained shoulders. 
VII. Sprained Tendons. 

The principal tendons that are liable to sprains are well shown in 
the next illustration. In the hind as well as fore leg, the perforatus 
tendon is external, and the jjerforans is in the middle, while the 
suspensory, the most internal, lies close to the back, at the bone. 
They are all subject to injury, from the horse slipping, or from hard 
galloping, or allowing the toe to grow too long; also from very hard 
pulls, and various other causes. When the perforatus is sprained, 
there is a great deal of swelling, the leg having a bowed out appear- 
ance. If it be the perforans that is hurt, the swellino- is slio-ht, and 
is principally visible at the sides ; while a sprain of the suspensor}^ 
tendon will, on account of its location, show no swelling; and yet by 
flexing the knee, each tendon will relax, and the different enlars^e- 
ments will be readily felt. Although the swelling of the perforatus, 
or the outer tendon, is very great, and a deformity may result, still the 
animal will be able to perform his work. On the other hiind, the 
slight swelling of a sprain of the suspensory tendon will mislead anv 
one not acquainted M'ith the important part this tendon plays in sup- 
porting the leg ; for this is really an injurj^ from which the animal 
rarely recovers — that is, full}'^ recovers — and as a rule he will never 
ao;ain stand work. 



314 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Following these sprains, contracted tendons are liable to result. 
But that condition will be treated of under another heading. 

Treatment. — Remove the shoes, and have 
the feet leveled. In case of a recent sprain, 
attach a hose to the leg, and allow the cold 
water to run on a bandage for several hours 
at a time. Afterwards bathe freely with 
the Soothing Lotion No. 3, or the Cooling 
Lotion No. 4, and re-wrap the leg in a l)and- 
age. A shoe with a high heel will tako the 
strain off the sore tendons, but this is liable 
to encourage their contraction. After the 
fever is gone, if any lameness is left, use 
the Mixed Blister No. 10; or the firing-iron 
may first be used, and afterwards the blister. 
Be sure to allow a month or two's rest. 

VIII. Sprained Fetlock. 

From sprains and bruises there will be 
lameness in this particular injmy, but very 
little swelling. The horse will stand so as 
to keep the joint flexed, and the whole fet- 
lock will feel hot and tender. A frequent 
repetition of this trouble is liable to even- 
tuate in a hard cartihige or gristly forma- 
tion around the joint, occasioning what has 
already been described (in Chapter XXI), 
under the head of "Knuckling, or Standing, 
Over." 

Treatment. — This will be the same as for 
sprained tendons. After the pain has gone, 
use the Mixed Blister No. 10. 




MUSCLES ON BACK PAKT OF 
FORE LEG. 

Showing their ending in tlie ten- 



6— Perforatu3 tendon 
c— Perforans tendon. 



IX. Sprains of the Hind Leg. 

Sprained Hip. — The hip is not a very fre- 
quent seat of himeness, many supposed cases 
of hip lameness being referable to the hock 
or foot. In a genuine case, however, the animal's movements suggest 
strongly just where the trouble is located. As he stands, the foot is 
flexed, and perhaps it may )>e held up from the ground; when he is 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES, ETC. 315 

moved, the hip is held stiff, and progression is effected by hops, in 
some cases the foot not being brought to the ground at all. On flex- 
ing the leg, and moving the hip, he will flinch from the pain, while 
the rest of the joints move freely and naturally. 

The treatment essentially required is absolute rest. The use of the 
high heeled shoe is also advisable, to remove the strain from the 
muscles. Further treatment, if any, should be the samg as for a 
sprained shoulder. 

Sprained Stifle. — In this trouble the leg, when standing, will be 
bent, but, when in motion, it will be kept extended and stiff, so as to 
prevent that movement which causes pain. When walking there may, 
perhaps, be a swinging of the foot in a circle, the heel being brought 
to the ground first. For treatment, carry out the directions for 
sprains in other parts. 

X. Shoulder Slip, or Sweeny. 

A "sweenj^," or atrophy, of the muscles may occur in any part of 
the body where muscle is present, but what we are here to consider 
is sweeny of the shoulder, which is the one of most frequent occur- 
rence, and is more discussed among farmers and stockmen than all 
others put together. But it ought to be remembered that what ap- 
plies to sweeny of this particular part, applies in a general way to 
sweeny, or atrophy, of all other parts as well. (See Section I of 
this chapter. ) There are various sets of muscles subject to sweeny 
of the shoulder, but those most generally affected are the muscles 
on each side of the shoulder-blade and the prominent masses at the 
breast. 

Causes. — Sweeny is the result of a sprain, followed by the usual 
train of symptoms, as lameness, swelling, etc. These at first may 
not attract much attention, and so the trouble may go on till the 
sweeny or wasting has gotten firm hold. The changes that occur in 
an atrophied muscle during its degeneration and wasting away have 
already been considered, and shown to be a sequel of the inflam- 
matory process. 

Symptoms. — The peculiar symptoms of sweeny are the rotating of 
the leg in walking, and the outward slipping of the shoulder, both 
indicating a greatly relaxed condition of the joint structures. Sim- 
ilar symptoms attend certain diseases of the feet, especially navicular 
disease, in which the breast muscles gradually shrink and waste away, 
simply from non-use. 



316 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 




Treatment. — In the first stages, or immediately after the sprain 
occurs, allow rest, remove the shoes, and level the feet. Apply hot 
fomentations to the muscles, afterwards rub- 
bing with the mild Stimulating Lotion No. 5. 
A large box stall, or a paddock for gentle ex- 
ercise, should be provided. 

Where sweeny has unmistakably developed, 
a good application of the Mixed Blister No. 
10, and the same general treatment as for 
atrophy, will be in order. The neck cradle, 
NKCK CRADLK. a simple device which is tellingly depicted in 

To prevent a horse from biting ^^^^Y illustration, had better be used to prevent 

at a blister, etc. 

biting the blistered shoulder. 
XI. Capped Elbow, or Shoe-boil. 

A capped elbow, or shoe-boil, is, as the name suggests, a swelling 
of the parts over the point of the elbow, from a bruise or other in- 
jur}^, most generally from lying on the heel of the shoe. It is of 
common occurrence, especially in winter, when the shoes have long 
calkins. It is also seen in trotters; they are apt to strike the elbow 
in their excessive flexion of the knee, necessitating the use of a pro- 
tecting "boot." 

Symptoms. — A horse put in his stall all right 
in the evening may produce a shoe-boil before 
morning, by lying on the heel of the shoe. 
On the other hand, they are sometimes very 
slow in developing. The cellular tissues around 
the elbow are filled with a thin serous fluid, 
as a result of the bruise. This will be hot to 
the touch, swollen and tender, in many cases 
attaining great size. This condition lasts for 
a few days, and then the fever subsides, and 
there will be found a. sac full of fluid. Now 
it is that the permanent mischief is done; 
this fluid, if allowed to remain, will, in turn, form a hard, callused 
swelling, or a fibrous lunior gradually forms, or possi))ly an al)scess 
containing ])us will develop. 

Treatment. — First aitcMul to the shoes; have them removed and 
altei' their stjde, and as a preventive of further damage place a "shoe- 




CAPPED ELBOW, OR SHOE- 
BOIL. 

It is shown at a. 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES, ETC. 317 

boil boot" on the ankle. These boots are made- in a great variety of 
forms, but nearly all on the general plan of a ring of very large size, 
so arranged as to buckle below the fetlock. They are made of all 
sorts of materials, from the rough and ready band of straw to the 
more elaborate one of leather, carefully stuffed with hair. The}^ all 
answer their purpose verj^ well, but the great trouble is in forgetting 
to put them on; a single night without the boot may cause a return 
of the whole trouble. 

During the very feverish stage, use hot fomentations, or cold water 
irrigations, and afterwards the Soothing Lotion No. 3. After the 
fever has disappeared, if the sac has not been absorbed, but is still 
found full of fluid, it should be punctured with the abscess lance, and 
the wound kept open until it closes thoroughly from the inside, the 
hole being syringed every day or two with Antiseptic Lotion No. 1. If 
the ailment has progressed until the sac contains a semi-solid mass, rub 
frequently with the following liniment, whereupon the distended 
spot will either suppurate, or its contents disappear by absorption : 

No. 24. Strong ammonia water, 1 ounce. 

Olive oil, 2 ounces. 

Mix. • 

Where a tumor is old, and absorption cannot be induced, it must 
be cut out. This is done l)y making a good long cut in the direction 
of the leg, and dissecting out the abnormal mass, as close to the skin 
as possible. Care nmst be taken to remove no more skin than is ab- 
solutely necessary, as otherwise the skin will contract too much, and 
confine the elbow in its movements. The edges may be stitched to- 
gether, and the Avound kept thoroughly moist by the Lotion No. 1, 
or No. 12. The slings are necessary to prevent lying down, as that 
would break all the stitches loose. 

Another way of removing the tumor is by making a deep opening 
into the middle of it with the sharp bistoury, and injecting some ir- 
ritating solution to eat awa}'^ the growth. 

XII. Capped Hock. 

This is not an uncommon thing as a result of injury, especially 
among kicking horses, from striking the hock against the stall. 

Symptoms. — This condition is similar to capped elbow ; the cellular 
tissues are infiltrated with fluids, producing a prominent round lump 
at the point of the hock. While usually there is no fever or lame- 



318 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



ness to hinder working, cases have been known in which the inflam- 
mation involved the whole joint, thus presenting a se)"ious aspect, 
and leaving a permanent enlargement. 

Treatment. — When the swelling is not large, and is of recent forma- 
tion, the use of cold showers and the Soothing Lotion No. 3 often 
suffice to effect a cure. If the fever is severe, use the cold shower, 
and afterwards the Lotion No. 3, with the addition of the Purgative 
Pill No. 18. Should a soft sac remain filled with fluid, it has fre- 
quently been our practice to open it, and inject a little of Solution No. 
25, given below. This may, perhaps, cause some swelling and ten- 
derness, but we have never seen any permanent bad effects ensue. 



No. 25. 



Tincture of iodine, 1 drachm. 
Water, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 



XIII. Curb. 
A curb is a sprain of the ligaments at the back of the hock, from 
slipping, heavy pulling, carrymg heavy riders, etc. Certain shapes 

of hocks are undoubtedlj^ predisposed to 
curbs ; such are the sickle-shaped, the bow- 
shaped, and small hocks. 

Symptoms. — At first there will be a soft, 
pulpy swelling, which later will become 
harder, leaving the hock with a bowed ap- 
pearance behind (as shown in the engrav- 
ing on page 221), which will be the most 
apparent when the observer stands at the 
side. From this stand-point the difference 
between the curbed and the perfect leg 
will easily be noticed, the sound limb show- 
ing a straight line from the point of the 
hock to the fetlock. 

This trouble is not so serious in old as in 
young horses, in whom there is the .iddcMl 
danger of a tendency to ))on}- format ions, 
extending to the hock. 
Treatment. — Allow rest, and use the high-heeled shoe. Kechice the 
fever by Lotion No. 3, or 4, the same as for capped hock, and afterwards 
rub in Absorbent Blister No. 11. In the case of young animals, it is 
best to fire and blister. Some veterinarians in doing this include the 
whole joint. 




AN ILL-SHAPED HOCK. 

Such a hock is prerlisposed to dis- 
ease. 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES, ETC. 



319 



XIV. Contracted Tendons. 

These are frequently seen as a consequence of repeated sprains of 
the tendons or joint ligaments, though they may also be of congenital 
origin. When a sprain 



&i ^i^iV 



occurs the tendons become 
swollen, by effusion of 
fluids from the blood. 
This naturally shortens 
them, and when long con- 
tinued, the effused mate- 
rial (which is not at all like 
the tendinous substance) 
is found to contract, and 
the upshot of it all is a 
condition in which the 
horse walks on his toes.- 
The different forms of 
knuckling, or standing, 
over are very frequently 
brouufht on throuoh con- 
traction of the ligaments 
enwrapping the joints. 

Treatment. — Treat the 
ailments that are liable to 
cause it promptly when 
they appear. When the condition has actually been established, 
there is but little hope except through the operation of tenotomy, which 
will be described in the chapter on Special Operations. 

XV. Swelled Legs. 

The hind and sometimes the fore legs of the horse are subject to 
an enlargement having its origin in the cellular tissue underlying the 
skin. This tissue is the thin, white membrane that attaches the skin 
to the muscles, and extends not only around the legs, but is spread 
over the entire body. Nature has filled all the interstices between the 
fleshy parts and the outer covering of the body with mi mite sacs, or 
close cells, filled with a watery secretion. They constitute the cel- 
lular tissue, and act as little pads for the skin, which everywhere rests 
upon them. 




A CASE OF BADLY CONTRACTED TENDON. 



Engraved for this work from a Photograph. 



320 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



But frequently inflammation is established in the cellular tissue, the 
leg becomes dreadfully swollen, and the skin puffs out all around the 
limb, as though it had been stuffed and pressed out to its utmost ten- 
sion. The leg grows very lame and stiff, and, after a time, cracks appear, 
from which exudes a whitish-yellow, watery matter, similar in appear- 
ance to that which characterizes cracked heels. 

Sometimes the swelling of the legs conies on with astonishinsf 
rapidity — perhaps in a single night — and then disappears almost as 
suddenly. Such phenomena usually indicates nothing more than 
sympathy with functional derangement in some other part of the 
horse's frame. Swelled legs is so intimately associated with other 
diseases that, in many an instance, it is impossible to decide which is 
the cause and which the effect. They are continually running into 
and ao'o'ravatino' each other. 

Causes. — Both local influences and constitutional tendencies. 
Under the first head, we include exposure, insufficient or unwholesome 
food, irregular feeding, hard usage, improper stable management, 
and a foul atmosphere; under the other, a feeble state of health, 
impurity of the blood, the presence of fever, and the like. Several 
of these causes, acting together, cannot fail to bring on disease. 

Treatment. — The first thing to do is to provide a good clean, pure 
stable, or if possible place in a paddock. Then attend to the disease 
itself; use cohl showers on the legs, and afterwards apply the Sooth- 
ing Lotion No. 3, or the Cooling Lotion No. 4. Afterwards apply a 
bandage to the leo-s, turnino- the bandage at each 
round, as shown in the illustration. The diet 
should be light and moist. Scalded bran, with 
perhaps a little oats mixed, Avill be the best; 
and if the bowels do not movely freely, give the 
Purgative Pill No. 18, or the milder one No. 20. 
The animal nuist be kept out of the wet, and be 
Cjiven well reoulated exercise. 

A powder as follows should be mixed in the 
feed three times a da^' : 




PROPKK MODE OF BAND- 
AGING THE LEG. 



No. 26. Powdered nitrate of potash, IJg ounces. 

Powdered r^sin, l^o ounces. 

Mix, and divide into 12 parts. 

When found in connection with some pronounced blood disease, 
llie Inilcr should recei\(' sjxH'ial 1 iH^almeut. ])rif llie legs are, neverthe- 
less, to be bandaired and lre;ifed as above directed. 



DISEASES OF THE MUSCLES, ETC. 321 

XVI. Swelled Ankles 

This is an affection of much niikler type than the preceding, and, 
as its name implies, is confined ahnost entirely to the ankle joints. It 
is intimately connected with swelled legs, of which it is nearly always 
a precursor. Some horses are extremely subject to swelled ankles. 
At night the parts show no signs of enlargement, but in the morning 
they are much swollen, and manifest a considerable degree of heat. 
These symptoms disappear after exercise, and everything seems right 
again. This condition of the joints may last for months, and has 
been known to trouble some horses for j^ears. That it is attended 
with great uneasiness, or even real pain, is sufficiently evidenced by 
the efforts wdiich the horse is continually making to rest his feet, his 
disposition to lie down, and the relief w^hich he manifests in doing so. 

Causes. — In the cases above outlined, a diseased condition of the 
feet is invariably chargeable with these developments. Less fre- 
quently the origin of swelled ankles may be traced to disease of the 
navicular and lower pastern joints ; and occasionally it seems to be 
simjily the result of constitutional tendencies, — a plethoric condition, 
a superabundance of blood, — or in connection with hard work and 
severe straining. The fever and heat arising from the diseased con- 
dition of the bottoms of the feet inflame the membrane of the joint 
under the skin, and it enlarges while the horse is resting; but exer- 
cise restores the healthful action of all the parts, and the swelling 
disappears. 

Treatment. — The first thing to be done is to remove the cause of 
the swelling by curing any disease of the feet found to be present. 
Examine the heels, to see if they show soreness, or any appearance 
of thrush. In a plethoric condition of the blood, give the Pills No. 
18, or No. 20, and the same diet, bandages, exercise and medicine as 
adv-ise.d for swelled legs. The two ailments are so closely allied, 
that the same general instructions will, in fact, answer for both. 
21 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

WOUNDS, BURNS, ETC. 



I. CLASSES OR KINDS OF WOUNDS. II. CAUSES OF WOUNDS. III. CLEANS- 
ING A WOUND. IV. SEWING A WOUND. V. SUTURES. ^ VI. BAND- 
AGES. VII. THE THKEADS AND NEEDLES TO USE. VIII. NATURE'S DIF- 
FERENT MODES OF HEALING. IX. DRESSING WOUNDS. X. BURNS AND 

SCALDS. 

I. Classes or Kinds of Wounds. 

A wound is any breach of the skin and flesh, or any division of the 
soft parts of an animal's body, caused by violence or external force. 
This class of injuries may be conveniently considered under the six 
different heads, or divisions, of incised, lacerated, punctured, contused, 
poisoned and gun-shot wounds. 

Incised Wounds — These are wounds produced by some sharp in- 
strument or substance, giving a clean, straight cut surface. They 
are the simplest of injuries when superficial, but when they penetrate 
deeply, they are liable to cut important vessels, nerves and muscles, 
thus producing a serious condition. When it is remembered that, if 
the sources of nourishment are shut off from a part, mortification 
will ensue, it will readily be seen how important it is that these cases 
should be carefully watched and skillfully treated. 

Lacerated Wounds. — Here the tissues are torn and ragged, in 
some cases making it mipossible to bring the edges together. The 
bleeding is usually small in quantity. The vessels being twisted and 
torn b}^ the accident, their contraction helps to stop the flow of 
blood. 

Punctured Wounds. — These constitute the most serious class of 
all, as they generally include the injury of important parts, such as 
the joints, viscera, vessels or nerves. In the foot the navicular joint, 
and in the chest the lungs or heart, may be injured. Foreign bodies 
are frequently carried inwards by the penetrating substance that 
inflicts the wound; and accordingly skin, clothing or hair may be 
found deeply imbedded in the puncture, preventing healing. The 
foreign body acts as an irritant, and the })us which Nature presentl}" 
forms to throw it off, may burrow into other important parts. 

322 



WODNDS, BURNS, ETC. 323 

Contused Wounds. — These are characterized b}^ a bruising of 
the tissues, and a rupture of the minute vessels in the skin ; these arc 
followed by an escape of blood between the tissues, and consequent 
swelling. 

Poisoned Wounds. — In these there is an entrance of poisonous 
matter from the wound-inflicting body; or some other variety of 
wounds may take on this form from unhealthy surroundings. 

One of the most common sequels of this class is lock-jaw, in which 
the poison is generally introduced by rusty nails or other iron sub- 
stances. 

Gun shot Wounds. — In civil life these are seldom encountered by 
the veterinarian, but when the}^ do occur, are generally of a serious 
nature. They frequently combine some of the other sorts of wounds. 

II. Causes of Wounds. 

The causes of wounds are innumerable, but, of course, are usually 
accidental. At the same time the}^ are generally due to carelessness 
of some kind or other. In the stable, they frequently result from 
improper tying; or, from the horse's pulling back, he may injure the 
poll on the halter; again, he may injure the poll on certain old stjdes 
of mangers, low ceilings, or low doorways. The cheek maybe in- 
jured by buckles ; the eyelids, lips and nostrils are torn on nails or 
hooks; and the hip, hock and elbow, are frequently injured b}^ kicks. 
When the animal is at work, the knees and hind parts may be injured 
by falls. Then there are the wounds seen from collisions with other 
vehicles or with cars; those from running away, or from being run 
into by other runaways; and from goring by cows, being staked in 
jumping fences, or from weights falling from the wagon onto the 

back, etc. 

III. Cleansing a Wound. 

In the treatment of a fresh wound, the first thing to do is to cleanse 
it thoroughl}^, removing all foreign substances, as gravel, hair and 
dirt. This is best done by means of a syringe, such as that shown 
on page 310. Plenty of clean water should first be used, followed 
by Antiseptic Sokition No. 1, or No. 12. Of these, too much can 
hardly be used in the syringing out of a wound, as on its proper cleans- 
ing depends the whole success of the treatment, and without it 
neither the direct union nor the union by adhesion will be possible. 
This will be fully understood on reading Section VIII of this chapter. 




324 THE AMERICAN FARMEk'S HORSE r>()OK. 

AVlieii a syringe is not to be had, small sponges made of cotton 
batting answer very well. They shonld never be used more than 
once, and then thrown away. The regular store sponge is a very 

£3 poor thing to wash a wound with, as it 
readily absorbs and retains dirt, and it is 
hardly ever clean. 

A bleeding vein or arterj' is to be caught 

KNOT FOR STOPPING BLEEDING •.! ^i p i t - i j.- i i 

With the lorceps and ligatured, or tied \)\ 

Showing the proper way to tie the i i i i. xi i 

]-^Qt_ a properly made knot ; the one shown in 

the annexed cut exhibits the proper mode 
of tying. Any oozing of blood from the capillaries may be stopped 
by pressure with a sponge wet with cold or hot water. 

Before sewing up a wound all the hair around the edges should l^e 
carefully clipped off, as it might retain matter, or ^jrevent healing by 
oettinoj between the edofes. 

IV. Sewing a "Wound. 

Sewing is always advisable in Avounds of any considerable extent, 
though it is well to leave an opening, by missing one or two stitches 
at the most dependent part, for the drainage of anv matter forming 
inside, and also that through it may be injected the antiseptic solutions 
recommended for cleansing wounds. The hair having been clipped 
off, and the wound carefully washed as alread}^ directed in Section III 
above, the edaes should be drawn tooether with the finirers, to act 
an idea of the best position for the sutures. In most parts of the 
body any loose fragments of skin had better be trimmed off. But 
not so around the eyelids, lips, nostrils or tongue; in these localities 
every particle of skin that by any chance can be saved should be 
saved. It is important to remember this, as these are parts that need 
all the skin they can get, and the removal of an}-, especially in case of 
the eye, may cause serious trouble. Wounds of even a serious nature 
in these parts usually heal very easily, 

V. Sutures. 

The wound being ready to sew, the next thing will be to choose the 
style of suture to be used. In a work like this it will be sufficient to 
mention only a few out of the great number of sutures that are in 
use. The "interrupted" suture, here illustrated, is, then, the simplest 
and most commonly used, being well suited to surface wounds of all 
kinds. It has this advantage that on anv emereencv, one or more 



WOUNDS, BURNS, ETC. 



325 




INTERBUPTED SUTURE. 



stitches may be cut without disturbing the others. The "contin- 
uous" suture is seldom used for horses, and when it is used, princi- 
pally in cases where very little matter is ex- 
pected to form. It consists of one contin- 
uous thread through the edges of the whole 
wound, and is tied only on each end. The 
"quilled" suture is placed by passing a 
double thread deeply through the tissues, 
the ends being at least one inch from the 
edges of the cut. A quill, pencil or other 
substance of similar shape, is placed on each side, and the double 
threads tied tightly around them. This form of suture is useful to 
^%^;%^%^;%;;^^^g^%^^^g^ , bind a deep wound firmly together, 
but the edges are liable to be everted; 
to prevent this, a few superficial inter- 
rupted sutures may be needed. 

The "twisted" suture is very fre- 
quently used. It is placed by insert- 
ing one or more pins across the cut and 
winding thread, twine, etc., around 




TWISTED SUTURE. 



their ends, in any form desired, which 
in ordinary wounds is likely to be about as shown in the accom- 
panying illustration. 

VI. Bandages. 

In the absence of sutures, bandages may be used to retain the edges 
of small wounds together. They are also necessary when the effort 
is to heal by direct union, or by adhesion. 

They are of great value in all wounds, acting as a protection from 
dirt and flies, excluding the air, and taking some of the strain off the 
sutures. They are not needed when scabbing is the process of heal- 
ing in contemplation. 

VII. The Threads and Needles to Use. 

Threads. — Any sort of very heavy thread or twine may be used for 
sutures. The thing necessary is to see that it is clean. Heavy braided 
Japanese silk thread is largely used by professional veterinarians, and 
to a less extent cat-gut and tendons, the latter mostly for special cases. 
Before using always dip the thread in an antiseptic solution. Our 
Nos. 1, 12 and 13 are all good for this purpose. 



326 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Needles. — These for veterinary purposes are made of all shapes 
and sizes, from 1 inch to 6 inches long, containing in some cases a 




DIFFERENT KINDS OF VETEKINARIAN S ISKKDI.ES. 

double bend, for special purposes. The shapes in most common use 
are shown in the accompanying engraving. In the left-hand corner 
is seen the enlarg-ed head of a self-threading needle. The curved 
needle is the style most used for superficial wounds. 

The skin of the horse, on some parts of the body, is very tough 
and thick, making it very difficult to push the needle through, and in 




NEEDLE HOLDER. 



these cases the needle holder is a valuable aid. Annexed is a picture 
of the needle holder in common use. 

VIII. Nature's Different Modes of Healing. 

There are four different ways in which a wound may heal ; namely, 
1)V direct union, adhesion, scabbing, or granulation. 

By Direct Union. — This the most favorable mode of healing is 
very rarclv procin-ed in the horse, the surroundings being against ob- 
taining so hap[)y a termination. To i)r()diu'e it the wound must be 
seen immediately after its occurrence, all foreign matter removed, 
and the edges brought closely together 1)v bandages, thus excluding 
the air and its germs. From this union there results no appreciable 
cicatrix. 



M'^OUNDS, BURNS, ETC. 327 

By Adhesion. — This occurs in wounds of a similur nature to the 
preceding, but which have been left a longer time without treatment. 
It is characterized by a slight inflammation ; a plastic fluid is thrown 
out between the edges that binds them together, and can afterwards 
be seen as a thin, pale line. In this process of healing also bandages 
are necessarj^, and though it is a less favorable one than by direct 
union, it will take place in a very short time. 

By Scabbing, — This well known mode of healing in the wonderful 
reparative provisions which Nature makes, occurs in wounds that are 
exposed to the air. The scab is formed by a thickening of the fluids 
thrown out by the vessels of the wounded surface, in this way exclud- 
ing the air, and preventing the formation of pus. In case, however, 
that pus should form under the scab, from the irritation of dirt or 
fever, its accumulation will cause pain, as a consequence of the re- 
sultant pressure, and the scab will be lifted, allowing its escape. 
When the irritant is thrown off another scab will form, and the heal- 
ing process will be resumed. 

By Granulation — Granulation takes place in severe wounds, where 
the tissues have been torn, and thus air has gained entrance, and 
matter formed, making unavailable the more favorable modes of 
union just considered. From the wounded surface, small red elevated 
spots will project; these continue to form, and if the surfaces are 
brought in contact they join together; and if this is not done, gran- 
ulation will be a slow process, and such, in fact, it often is, esj^ecially 
in the hot season. The substance which acts as a bond of union is a 
new form of connective tissue, for the original tissue is never re- 
produced in a granulating wound. 

IX. Dressing Wounds. 

This has been referred to many times in preceding parts of this 
work, and hence no more will be required here than a few condensed 
remarks. After a wound has been properly washed and sewed, the 
air should be excluded by dipping cotton batting in Antiseptic So- 
lution No. 1, or No. 12, and bandaging on the part. The bandao-es 
should be changed tiwce a day in summer; in the favorable weather 
of winter, they need not be changed so often. At each dressing be 
sure to use fresh cotton batting, throwing the old bandage awnv. 

When a wound is left free to the air, a scab forms. It should not 
be touched, but if matter gathers, it may be washed off daily, and 



328 THE amp:rican farmer's horse book. 

the White Lotion No. 16 sponged on; or, instead, either of the fol- 
lowinir lieuling powders iiiaj be dusted on. 

No. 27. Powdered calamine, 1 part. 

Powdered rosin, 1 part. 

Mix. 

No. 28. Powdered iodoform, 1 part. 

Powdered naphthaline, 2 parts. 
Mix. 

X. Burns and Scalds. 

These are occasionally seen, even on the farm, as a result of ac- 
cidents. The extent of tissue involved will depend on the intensity 
of the heat, and the length of time of its application. Burns are 
classified, scientifically, under the three heads of erythema, or red- 
ness; vesication, or the formation of blisters.; and mortification, or 
death of a small or large surface. Where a large extent of skin dies, 
the muscle, tendons and joints may l)e exposed, which, of course, is 
a very serious condition. In most cases of burns, the local pain will 
become general, the animal grows feverish, and in the case of stables 
burning there may be inflammation of the lungs, from inhalation of 
the irritating smoke or intense heat. 

Treatment. — The aim in the treatment is to exclude the air from 
the wound, and in this way relieve the pain. For this purpose flour 
may be dusted over the raw parts. But a better application is that of 
carron oil, so much used for burns by iron workers, and made by 
mixing e(jual parts of linseed oil and lime water. When this is ap- 
plied, it forms a protecting paste, over which may be sprinkled flour 
or some similar air excluder. Layers of cotton batting may be used 
alone or over the other preparations. In slight burns, such as rope 
burns, etc., the White Lotion No. 16 may be applied. 

For the relief of pain, half ounce doses of tincture of opium may 
be given at frequent intervals, and if there is great prostration, an}- 
sort of a stinudant will be beneficial. 

AVlien extensive burns expose the tendons or joints, it is generally 
most humane to kill the animal at once. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 
DISEASES OP THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OP AGE. 



I. THE TEETH A FREQUENT SOURCE OP SUFFERING. II. THE HORSE'S TEETH. 

III. TEETHING, OR DENTITION. IV. SHEDDING THE TEETH. V. 

DECAY OF THE TEETH, AND TOOTHACHE. VI. EXTRACTING THE TEETH. 

VII. THE MARKS OF AGE. -VIII. SECOND TO FOURTH TEARS. IX. 

FIFTH TO EIGHTH YEARS. X. NINTH TO THIRTEENTH YEARS. XI. 

THIRTEEN YEARS AND UPWARDS. XII. IRREGULAR TEETH. XIII. PARROT 

MOUTH. 

I. The Teeth a Frequent Source of Suffering. 

Careful observation lias convinced us that the teeth of the horse 
are much oftener the source of sufferino; and disease than is o-enerallv 
believed. In speaking of this subject, Youatt says: "Horsemen, in 
general, think too lightly of dentition [teething], and they scarcely 
dream of the animal suffering to any considerable degree, or absolute 
illness being produced; yet he who has to do with young horses will 
occasionally discover a considerable degree of febrile affection, which 
he can refer to this cause alone. Fever, cough, catarrhal affections 
generally, disease of the eyes, cutaneous affections, diarrhea, dysen- 
tery, loss of appetite, and general derangement will frequently be 
traced by the careful observer to irritation from teething. 

"It is a rule, scarcely admitting of the slightest deviation, that, 
when young horses are laboring under any febrile affection, the 
mouth should be examined, and if the tushes are prominent and push- 
ing against the gums, a crucial incision [that is, one in the form of a 
cross] should be made across them. 'In this way,' says Mr. Percivall, 
'I have seen catarrhal and bronchial inflammations abated, coughs re- 
lieved, lymphatic and other glandular tumors about the head reduced, 
cutaneous eruptions got rid of, deranged bowels restored to order, 
appetite returned, and lost condition re])aired.' " 

Possibly the effect which this extract is calculated to produce is 
hardly distinguishable from that of an over-statement, and j^et few 
experienced veterinary practitioners would undertake to dispute the 
general correctness of these views. 

329 



330 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



II. The Horse's Teeth. 
The palate and teeth of the upper jaw of the mature horse are de- 
picted in the cut herewith presented, showing the six incisors, or nip- 
per,s; the two canine teeth, or tushes — sometimes called bridle-teeth ; 
and the twelve molars, or grinders. Upon one side of the roof of the 
mouth is a natural view of the bars of the palate, and upon the other 
is indicated the appearance which would be presented if the bars were 

dissected off so as to reveal the intricate net- 
work of blood-vessels and nerves below. 

The colt cuts his first front teeth when very 
young, which operation is known as teething. 
After this, at different stages of his growth, 
these are displaced by a new set, larger and 
better adapted to the needs of the mature 
horse. For the sake of convenience, this pro- 
cess is distinguished by the name of shedding. 
The horse has, or should have, when full}^ 
grown, forty teeth — in each jaw six nippers, 
two tushes, and twelve grinders. In the mare, 
the tushes are either not developed at all, or 
else do not make their appearance before old 
age, although bony protuberances, correspond- 
ing to them, are hidden below the gums. The 
tush is a long, sharp tooth, occupying a posi- 
tion on each side of the jaw, between the nip- 
pers and the grinders, but somewhat nearer 
the former than to the back teeth. What 
a great many farmers caW blind teeth, or wolf 
teeth, and ignorantly imagine to be the cause of almost numl)erless 
ills, come on the upper and lower jaw between the bridle-teeth and 
the grinders. (See Section III in next Chapter). 

The changes which the teeth undergo before attaining their full de- 
velopment, with the derangements Avhicli attend these changes, will 
first claim our attention. 

III. Teething, or Dentition. 
When the foal is born into the world, no teeth are visible except 
the first or second grinders, on each side, above and below, making- 
eight in all ; or sometimes these do not appear for two or three days 
afterwards. He cuts the remaininsi; teeth in succession, at various in- 




PALATE AND TEETH OF THE 
UPPEU JAW. 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 331 

tervals; so that the milk-teeth — the first set — are not all developed 
until he is in his second year. 

The cutting of nearly thirty teeth, however lightl}^ it may be re- 
garded by the stock -raiser, is certainly a matter of no small moment 
to the colt. While it is true that Nature prepares the gums, in a 
great measure, for this process, if any one will take the trouble to ex- 
amine the mouth and gums of the colt while it is going on, he will 
probably be astonished to find how hot and feverish these parts are. 
During the period of suckling, the milk of the mother tends greatly 
to counteract the evil effects of teething, and, at this period, Nature 
will seldom need any assistance in the way of other diet, or medica- 
tion of any kind. But after weaning, all through what remains of 
teething, and the entire process of shedding, the 3'oung animal does 
not fare so well, and a variety of disorders lie in wait for him. 

It is undoubtly a wise and kindly provision of Nature that the colt's 
teeth do not all come at once; for, if that were the case, such would 
be the severity of the operation that very few, probabl}', would live 
through it. As it is, the soreness and inflammation occasioned by the 
cutting of one pair has time to subside, and the gums are allowed 
time to heal over, before any more come through. It is worthy of 
remark, also, that dentition does not so seriously affect the horse as 
either the human species or the dog. 

IV. Shedding the Teeth. 
Closely connected with teething, and, in the beginning, coincident 
with the latter stages of that operation, is the process of shedding, 
which is the replacement of the milk by the permanent teeth. The 
first set of teeth do not come out, and the lacerated gums then heal 
over, as is the case with children ; but the second tooth comes up im- 
mediately under the first one, and lifts it entirely out of the gums. 
What is still more remarkable, while this is going on, the under part 
of the milk tooth is being gradually absorbed by the surrounding 
parts, so that there is but a small portion of it left by the time the 
permanent tooth reaches the top of the gums. As the under tooth 
comes up from its bed in the jaw, the gums, being lifted up with it, 
retain their hold upon the other until the second is near enough 
through to sul)serve the needs of the animal in eating ; then, all at once, 
the gums peel off from the upper tooth, which drops out, and they 
now sink down around the new one; their swelling and soreness sub- 
side, and all IS right in the mouth aoain. 



332 



THK AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




TOOTHACHE. 



For a considerable time previous to their removal, the position of the 
milk teeth is by no means a firm one, as they are only retained in 
their places by the adhesion of the gums. Every hard substance that 
comes HI contact with them is likely to move or twist them about. 

V. Decay of the Teeth, and Toothache. 
The teeth of horses, like those of human beings, are subject to 
decay. In common parlance, they become rotten, which is just the 
same condition that the dentist refers to when he speaks of "caries" 
of the teeth. The horse's front teeth sometimes show signs of 
decay, but generally it is the jaw teeth, the molars, which are 

affected. From the tooth's decay, the nerve 
^^ which it contains is very frequently ex- 
\\^ posed, and the slightest cause — cold water, 
food getting in the cavity, and thus caus- 
ing pressure while eating, etc., — will start a 
violent case of toothache. 

Causes. — A. disordered condition of the 
stomach has much to do with the premature decaj^ of the teeth. 
The foul gases which it gives off, when there is fermentation of 
the food, exert a ver}^ detrimental effect upon the teeth. Similar 
consequences follow the reprehensible practice of giving the horse 
strong mineral poisons, such as copperas, blue-stone, calomel, cor- 
rosive sublimate, arsenic, and many others. These have a tendenc}^ 
to destroy the enamel, and corrode and ruin the teeth. A similar 
deleterious process goes on when particles of food become wedged 
in between the teeth, and there decay. 

Symptoms. — Toothache is one of the causes which so often make 
the horse suddenly drop the corn, or other hard feed, from his nu)uth 
while eating. The owner or attendant generally sets this down as 
indicating some natural disrelish for the food at that particular time, 
whereas the fact very often is that he has hurt his tooth. Having 
no hand to press to his mouth, the poor animal is allowed to suffer, 
without so much as a suspicion of what the trouble really is. 

Treatment. — The horse's teeth, like those of mankind, admit of 
being filled when decayed, and the art of veterinary dentistry has 
been so improved on in the last dozen years that it is now a very 
couHnou occun-ence to fill a horse's tooth. The substance most used 
for this ])urpose is gutta pcrcha. ))ut other amalgam tilliiigs maybe 
substituted. The filling will have to l)e performed ])y an e.\i)erienced 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 333 

operator, the greatest care being taken to remove all dead tooth sub 

stance, and have a perfectly clean cavity before introducing the 

tilling. 

VI. Extracting the Teeth. 

The horse's teeth should not be extracted except in extreme cases, 
when the fact admits of no doubt that they are the occasion of acute 
suffering, or are past filling. The practice of driving out the teeth 
with a punch or hammer ought not to be countenanced, and is only 
justifiable in those rare instances where a proper instrument cannot 
be procured. 

To extract a tooth a strong pair of forceps are needed, such as 
may be bought of anj^ instrument maker; or else have a pair of pullers 
nuido on the principle of the old-fashioned instrument, formerly used 
in dentistrj', but, of course, larger and stronger; and while an assist- 
ant hokls open the horse's mouth, the operator can fasten on the 
decayed tooth and draw it. If the horse is vicious or restless, it will 
be necessary to fasten his head, so that he cannot move it al)ou.t. 
The operator may stand on a bench or box, so as to work to better 
advantage. 

The three back molars are exceedingly hard to extract. In some 
cases it is next to impossible to remove them, necessitating the 
trephining of the face above and punching them out with a probe. 
This, of course, is not to be attempted except by a proficient veter- 
inarian. 

VII. The Marks of Age. 

The appearance and shape of the teeth constitute what is most 
generally relied upon as a means of determining the age of a horse ; 
and, in connection with other circumstances, concerning which the 
experienced horseman will always ascertain full particulars, if it be 
possible to do so, they form a quite accurate nuirk of age, until 
the animal is somewhat past his prime. The incisors, or front teeth, 
are those usually examined to tell an animal's age. Of these there 
are twelve (six in each jaw), known as the central, lateral, and corner 
incisors. The three pairs thus named are indicated by the three pairs 
of figures, 1, 2 and 3 respectively, in the lower cut on page 336. 
The lower row of teeth being situated the most conveniently for ex- 
amination, are always chosen for that purpose. The upper roAV pre- 
sent the same markings, but they are somewhat slower in appearing. 
We will now point out the peculiarities which generally characterize 



334 



THE AMERICAN FARMER 8 HORSE BOOK. 




THE TEETH AT ABOUT ONE 
MONTH OLD. 



the teeth at different periods of the horse's life, and by which his 

age may be determined with considerable exactness. 

At Birth. — At birth, or within two or 
three days after that, the mouth of the 
foal shows two grinders on each side, 
above and below — eight altogether. Within 
the next day or two, the four central 
incisors — two below and two above — push 
through the gums. When the next four, 
the lateral incisors, appear, one on each 
side of the centrals in both jaws, the colt 
has attained the age of one month, or 
a little more. The appearance of the third 

set — the corner incisors in each jaw — indicates an age of about eight 

months. 

VIII. Second, to Fourth Years. 

One Year Old. — At one year old the central and the second pair of 

nippers are worn nearl}' 
level, and the coi'ner tooth, 
which is now of the same 
leno'th as its neiohbor, is 
rapidly becoming so. 

Two Years Old. — The 
two 3'ear old colt has the 
nuirk, or "kerner" — the 
dark, hard substance in 
the middle of the crown 
of the tooth — ground (juite 
out of the central incisors. 
So far, the young an- 
imal has got along Aery 
well with his milk teeth, 
but now he begins to iummI 
others, not merely larger, 
l)ut also of a hruier. more 

m^mim^iiim'^" ' dura))le composition and 

RISING TUKEE YKAKs (FRONT viKw.) setting; aud this ueccssity 

Showiuff the failure of the new (penuanenl) central incisors ii.if iiyp iiippts bv COnmiCnC- 
to meet as jet. "^ 

ing the replacement of the 
first set with the permanent teeth. This operation begins with the 
hrst grinder — the forward one; but as the grinders are all of them 




DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 



335 



too far back in the mouth to be easily inspected, we must continue 
to depend mainly upon what we can discover in connection with the 
nippers. 

Three Years Old. 
— At the begin- 
nino- of the third 
year, or sometimes 
a little sooner, the 
central incisors are 
shed, and the per- 
manent teeth ap- 
pear. As these 
new teeth do not 
meet together at 
first, the mouth 
will have a pecu- 
liar and character- 
istic appearance. 
The difference be- 
tween the milk and 
temporary teeth 
may now be seen 
at a glance. The 
milk teeth are 
smaller than the 

second growth. They present a smooth front surface of a dull 
whitish color, and near the gum a constriction, or neck, appears that 

is not seen in the permanent teeth. 



The second set, the permanent 
teeth, are larger, and have a 
small groove down the front ; 
their color is of a yellowish white. 

IX. Fifth to Eighth Years. 
Four Years Old. — Rising four 
years old, the intermediate inci- 
sors are replaced by the perma- 
nent, whereupon their appear- 
ance will be as shown in the en- 
gravings above. The cutting surface ( shown in the smaller engrav- 
ing), will begin to wear slightly at about four years. This age is 




RISING FOUR YEARS (FRONT VIEW.) 




RISING FOUR YEARS (FROM ABOVE.) 

Showing the cutting surfaces of the Incisors. 



3^6 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



very readily recognized by tlie presence of four large permanent 
incisors in each jaw, with two small corner milk teeth. 

Five Years Old. — Between four and five years the corner perma- 
nent teeth appear, and at five years the anterior border of all the 




FIVE YEARS. 

The incisoi'S are now all permanent, and each shows the kernel very plainly. 

teeth are on a level. At this period, accordingly, the animal has a 
full mouth of permanent teeth. The four tushes, or canine teeth, 
will also appear at this age. 

Six Years Old. — The front view of the teeth is the same as at five 
years. From this period onward the table, or bearing surface, of the 
teeth, by its changes in shape, and the wearing of the black central 




/ I 

THE NIPPEK8 (INCISORS) AT SIX YEARS OLD. 

spot known as the kernel, will be the best index of the animal's age. 
By this time the posterior border of the corner teeth are well in Avear, 
and the tables of all the teeth show an obviously w^orn surface. It 
will bo noticed in the engraving that the kernel of the central teeth 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 



337 



is not near so dark in color as that of its neighbors; and this is a 
sign of importance in determining the age. 

Seven Years Old. — The front view of the teeth is the same as at 
six years ; tlie side view shows the lower row to be narrower than the 
upper, in which there is a notch, as is well shown in the accompany- 
ing cut. The table shows signs of the continual wear, and the dark 




IliiCt ^--^ 







SEVEN YEARS OLD (SIDE VIEW.) 

kernel of the lateral teeth is becoming of a light color, the same as 
described at six years. 

It should be remembered, in examining the teeth of an}- horse, 
that feeding constantly on hard, unshelled corn is very apt to wear 
the teeth prematurely. Crib-biters also are almost invariably rather 
younger than their teeth would indicate. In these cases the corner 
teeth are the ones that afford the best index of the animal's age, as 
they are less used in grinding the food than the rest. 

22 



338 



TIIK AMERICAN TARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



X. Ninth, to Thirteenth Years. 



Eight Years Old. — At this age the tables show the dark kernel 
worn out of all the teeth, which are now of an oval form. In the 
illustration will be noticed a fine, wavy, black line between the kernel 




EIGHT TEAKS OLD. 



and the front of the tooth. This is the "dental star," which now 
becomes of great importance as an indicator of age. 

Nine Years. — By this time the notch in the upper corner tooth has 
usually disappeared, and the teeth will be noticed to meet more 




NINE YEARS OLD. 



obliquely. The dental star is becoming more pronounced in the cen- 
trnl teeth, which are also changing their shape from an oval to 
round. 

Ten Years. — rbe jaws are meeting still more on a slant. The 
ta])ie surfaces of all the teeth are now round, while the dental star is 
about in the middle of the tooth. 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 



339 



Eleven Years. — There are no very visible changes at this time. 
The kernel is now seen as a small ring at the posterior border of the 
tooth. 




ELEVEN YEARS OLD. 

Twelve Years. — At this period the .kernel has disappeared from 
the central teeth, and in some cases from the others also. 

XI. Thirteen Years and Upwards. 

Thirteen Years. — The changes by wear are seen to progress, and 
the angle of the meeting of the teeth is still more acute. 

Fifteen Years. — In consequence of continued wear, the central 
teeth are of a triangular form. The dental star is seen as a dull spot 
about the centre of the surface. 




FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. 



Seventeen Years. — AH the teeth have now become triangular in 
shape, and they are not so close together as at a younger age. 



olO THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Nineteen Years. — The jaws now form an acute angle. The separ- 
ation of the teeth is becoming quite marked, and the posterior border 




NINETEEN YEAKS OLD. 



of the table is converging to a point, as seen in the illustration. In 
the next (twenty-first) year the notch in the superior tooth will dis- 
appear. 




THIRTY YEARS OLD. 



Thirty Years. — This is extreme old age. The teeth are now worn 
down very low; in some cases they may even be on a level with the 
gums. In shape they are flattened, as shown in the engraving. 

XII. Irregular Teeth. 
The molar teeth of the horse do not wear evenly. This is due to 
the lower jaw being narrower than the upper, whence it foHows that 




TOOTH RASP. 



the outer edges of the upper and the inner edges of the lower teeth 
arc li:il)l(^ lo become very sharp, and in this way to cut the tongue or 



DISEASES OF THE TEETH, AND THE MARKS OF AGE. 



341 



cheek. To remedy this, the teeth should be filed or rasped with an 
instrument of the kind shown in the preceding illustration. 




PAIR OF TOOTH-CUTTERS. 

When a tooth is extracted, or wears very fast from the softness of 
its substance, the corresponding tooth in the upper row is likely to 
grow long, there 
being nothing 
that meets and 
wears it. To rem- 
edy this condition 
will require a pair 
of tooth-cutters, 
such an instru- 
ment as is above 
represented. The 
rough cut surface 
of the tooth may 
afterwards be 
smoothed with a 
rasp . 

XIII. Parrot 
Mouth.. 

Parrot mouthed 

horses, as they 

are called, are not 

infrequently met 

with by veterinary 

dentists. In this 

conformation the 

upper jaw projects 

over the lower, — • 

in some cases so much so that the lower lips are cut or torn. Such 

a mouth prevents a horse from eating grass at pasture, because, as 

the teeth do not come together, it is impossible for him to seize and 

hold the grass with them. To remedy this deformity, the teeth 

need to be cut down b}^ appropriate instruments. 




PARROT MOUTH (SIDE VIEW.) 



CHAPTER XXV. 
DISEASES OF THE MOUTH AND STOMACH. 



I. LAMPAS. II. PIKP:S, AND PAPS OK BARBS. III, WOLF TEETH. IV. 

SWOLLEN GLANDS. V. CHOKING. VI. THE HORSE'S STOMACH AND ITS 

PECULIARITY. VII. BOTS. VIII. INDIGESTION, OR DYSPEPSIA. IX. 

STOMACH OR "BLIND" STAGGERS. X. RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH OR 

BOWELS. - 

I. Lampas. 

This is an ailment principally incident to young horses, and was an 
object of great alarm to the farriers of former times. It is simply an 
inflammation of the lining membrane in the front part of the roof of 
the mouth. The little ridges running across the surface of that part 
are called "the bars." They are shown in the engraving on page 330. 
The bars serve the purpose of assisting the tongue in moving the 
particles of food backward to the jaw teeth, there to be properly 
masticated. That portion of the membrane next to the front teeth 
sometimes swells, until it extends downward not only to the level of 
the teeth, but, it may be, even beyond them. It becomes^ very, sore, 
and greatly annoys the horse in eating, especially if his food consists 
of such hard substances as corn, oats, and timothy hay. He shows 
the pain which their pressure occasions b}^ often dropping the food 
from his mouth. 

Causes. — Such inflammation is apt to arise from the soreness that 
accompanies teething, and which is communicated to the bars in the 
adjoining parts of the mouth. This is the reason why the young 
horses are more subject to it than the older ones. But changes of 
some kind are continually going on in the mouth ; the teeth, after the 
operations of teething and shedding are done with, begin to wear 
away, and, after a time, they connnence to fall out, and the gums 
sink down around them. As a general thing, the horse is free from 
lampas between the ages of five and eight years; but, at the latter 
period, the wearing oft' of the teeth becomes more marked and rapid, 
the gums have noticeably shrunk, and this disease is apt to appear 
again. 

O ( o 



DISEASES OF THE MOUTH AXD STOMACH. 343 

We think there is a tendency on tlie part of many kite writers on 
veterinary practice to underrate the injurious effects produced by 
lampas. A marked derangement of the digestive process would be 
no more than might reasonably be expected from the sjaiipathy with 
the feverish mouth and gums ; and observation plainly teaches that 
when horses have been long troubled with lampas, they are likely to 
be found in bad condition, thin in flesh, and with a staring coat of 
hair. 

Treatment. — In many cases, lampas will disappear of itself. If 
not, scarification is the first thing to be done. This should be per- 
formed with the point of a very sharp knife, or, best of all, the lance 
here illustrated, the object being to relieve the overloaded vessels of 
the superabundance of blood they contain. Great care must be taken 
not to make the incisions too deep, or back of the third bar, just be- 
hind which an artery approaches very near to the surface, tiiat will 




LANCE FOR CUTTING THE GUMS. 



be quite difficult to close, if it should be severed in this operation. 
Should such an accident happen, the bleeding can be stopped by tying 
a strong cord around the upper front teeth, close to the gums, and 
drawing it very tightly. This will close the orifice, and check the 
hemorrhage at once ; or, instead, a thick pad of tow may be bound on. 
The use of some mild astringent will form the proper continuance 
of the treatment. Alkaline solutions will often meet the require- 
ments of the case when nothing else will. The following mouth wash 
will be found helpful : 

No. 29. Chlorate of potash, % ounce. 

Pure water, 2 ounces. 

Mix. 

Wash the gums thoroughly with this wash every morning. 

If the general health is not good, give any of the tonic powders 
mentioned in this work. See "Kecapitulation of Remedies," in 
Chapter XLI. 



344 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

We must add our emphatic concurrence in tlie condemnation ex- 
pressed by all respectable veterinarians of the brutal custom of burn- 
ing the bars of the mouth for the cure of lampas. The bars, as be- 
fore stated, are of great service in moving the food during mastica- 
tion. To burn them, therefore, is not only an act of great cruelty, 
but is really a permanent injury. Caustics are equally objectionable 
in their effect upon the mouth, and on the teeth still more so. There 
is not the least excuse for resorting to either of these modes of treat- 
ment, for the swelling can readily be removed by the course pre- 
scribed above. 

II, Pikes, and Paps or Barbs. 

These are the natural papillee of the mouth, which the ignorant 
practitioners of former times considered a sign of disease, and cut off. 
It is almost unnecessary to state that, being a natural formation, they 
should not be cut. 

Paps, or Barbs. — This is another imaginary disease of the mouth. 
Below the tongue is the opening of the canal from the glands under 
the jaw ; and this opening is protected by a fold of the lining mem- 
brane of the mouth, to prevent the entrance of food. It is this small 
prominence that was considered a disease, and cut off. Happily, this 
foolish and hurtful practice hps ahnost fallen into disuse. 

III. Wolf Teeth. 

These are occasionally found in a horse's mouth just in front of the 
first molar teeth. All sorts of diseases are popularly attributed to 
them, especially weak eyes. While there is no reason to regard them 
as the cause of disease, it is undoubtedly true that they are of no 
service to the animal. Not being well fastened in the jaw, they may 
be extracted with a pair of forceps; or, in fact, a nail and hammer 
will do to knock them off with. Any part of the root renuiining need 
cause no alarm ; it will be harmless. 

IV. Swollen Glands. 

The glands under the jaw, as also those below the ear, are liable to 
swell in certain diseases, as strangles, lampas, laryngitis or sore throat, 
glanders, farcy, etc. They will be fully treated of in this work, in 
connection with the several diseases of which they constitute a prom- 
inent manifestation. 



DISEASES OF THE MOUTH AND STOMACH. 



345 



V. Choking. 

Tliis is occasionally seen both in foals and in old horses, from try- 
ing to swallow apples, potatoes, eggs, tur- 
nips, etc. , or in foals from trying to eat hay. 

Symptoms. — The animal is found to have 
stopped feeding, and stands witli the head 
stretched forward with an expression of 
suffering. There is generally a husky 
cough, and a dribbling of saliva from the 
mouth. If he tries to swallow water, it will 
fill the oesophagus and run out of the nose 
on lowering the head. When the obstruc- 
tion is in the neck portion, it may be felt 
with the hand, but if further down in the 
chest section, this cannot be done. 

Treatment. — If the obstruction has come 
on from the animal's turning the neck side- 
ways, on his returning to the customary po- 
sition it will generally disappear. The pas- 
sage may be lubricated and any cramp re- 
lieved, by administering half an ounce of 
tincture of opium in a half pint of oil. 
Eggs are often given whole for some in- 
ternal trouble; if one of these has caused 
the choking, try and break it. 

When medicines fail to remove the ob- 
struction, use a probang, such as is shown 
in the illustration, in manner as follows: 
After giving the oil and opium already 
spoken of, extend the head as much as pos- 
sible, and then pass the probang down to 
the obstruction, and use very gentle but 
firm pressure, bearing in mind that any 
sudden punching is likely to cause a rupture 
of the canal. 

(Esophagotomy. — When all other means 
fail, the proficient veterinarian may decide 
to perform the operation known as oesopha- probang for removing ob- 
gotomy. This consists in cutting down on Struction of the (esopha- 

f 1 4; u + +• A • ^1 ^^S (GULLET.) 

the phice or obstruction, and removmg the 

obstructing substance through the o]iening thus made. Tliis op- 




346 



THE AMERICAN FARMEK S HORSE BOOK. 




BANDAGES FOll THE FRONT AND SIDES 
OF THE NECK. 



eration is likely to be followed by serious trouble from the con- 
traction of the canal in healing; in some cases the oesophagus narrows 
to a very serious extent. After removing the obstruction, the edges 
of the wound should be stitched together, and a bandage, similar to 
the illustration, may be used to retain the dressing in place. The 

dressing will consist of a piece of 
cotton batting, as directed for 
wounds, and it will have to be re- 
newed every day at the first, but may 
be dispensed with as soon as the 
edges of the wound have healed. 

VI. The Horse's Stomach and its Pe- 
culiarity. 

The main function of the stomach 
in all animals consists in soften- 
ing down the food. The remaining operations are carried on in the 
intestines, which, by their great length, presenting an immense ex- 
tent of surface filled with absorbents, are especially adapted to their 
performance. A remarkable peculiarity of the stomach in the horse 
is strikingly indicative of its limited part in the functions of diges- 
tion. As is well known, it is the mucous membrane that is furnished 
with the minute absorbents, whose office it is to take up the digested 
particles of food, in the form of chyle, and transfer them to the gen- 
eral circulation. While this coating lines the entire inner surface of 
the intestines, not more than one-third of that of the stomach is simi- 
larly provided. 

Though apparently free from bilious disorders, the horse is fre- 
quently a sufferer from various derangements of the digestive func- 
tions, some of which are liable to assume the gravest character quite 

suddenly. 

VII. Bots. 

This is the proper place to consider this so-called disease, whose 
supposed frequency and fatality render it a subject of deep interest to 
every proprietor of the horse. It has given rise to numberless the- 
ories in reufard to both its cause and cure — all strenuously uro^ed bv 
earnest advocates, of whom, nevertheless, there are exceedingly few 
but are willing to confess they know next to nothing of the habits 
and ofiice of the l)ot, or of the effects created by the little creature's 
presence upon the horse's general system. Nearly all agree in this, 



DISEASES OF THE MOUTH A>fD STOMACH. 



347 



however, that, in some way, the bot kills the horse. The common 
opinion is that he effects this by seizing hold of the stomach, from 
some ferocious propensity which possesses him at certain undeter- 
mined periods, and eating or cutting his way entirely through its 
walls ; and as to a remedy, that all depends upon the speedy adminis- 
tration of something which will compel him to relinquish his hold be- 
fore his ravenous work has produced irreparable injury. 

These views are grossly erroneous. What is supposed to be the 
ravages of the bot is, in reality, the work of some inflammatory dis- 
ease. To begin with, the 
natural history of the bot 
has never been properly un- 
derstood by horsemen. This 
parasite is found attached 
to the coats of both portions 
of the stomach. For a 
mouth he has a tiny orifice, 
no larger than the point of 
a cambric needle, with which 
he feeds upon the food in 
the stomach, after it has 
been softened down into 
chyme. This tiny mouth 
he can close against any sub- 
stance which offends his 
dainty taste; and, being pro- 
tected by a scaly covering, 
upon which no acid, caustic, or poison will operate, he is much 
safer from the acsion of any hurtful element than the horse into 
whose stomach he is introduced. There is no evidence that in 
his normal condition he ever injures the horse's health in the least 
degree. The wise farmer will treat for disease, not for bots. 

The Bot's Biography. — The life history of the bot is interesting. 
After being retained in the stomach for about one year's time, he 
loosens his hold, and is passed off during the months of July and 
August. Burrowing in the earth, he forms a chrysalis, which in 
turn develops into the gad or horse fly. The flv deposits her effijs 
on the hair, and the horse, by licking, transfers them to the stomach, 
where they become attached, and hatch out into the dreaded bots; 
then the same round is made again, and so on indefinitelv. 




BOTS AND 



GAD-FLIES, WITH 
LATTER. 



EGGS OF THE 



to the hair of 



a and 6— The eggs of the gad-fly, adhering 
the horse, 
c— The appearance of the bots, adhering to the walls 

of the stomach, 
d— The bot detached. e and /—Gad-flies. 



348 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



VIII. Indigestion, or Dyspepsia. 
Causes. — Dyspepsia is the most commonly seen in old horses and 
foals. It may result from diseased, irregular or sharp teeth, which 
cut the cheek or tongue, and in this way so hurry the eating as to 
cause bolting of the food. Other causes are indigestible or musty 
food, over-work, changes of weather, or eating too much at irregular 
periods. It is seen in foals from trying to eat hay or fodder; or, 
again, when the mother having been at work, the foal is allowed to 
feed while she is very warm ; or it may be simply from the milk being 
of a poor quality. 

Symptoms. — The animal appears unthrifty; the coat is staring, 
and the belly tucked up ; the skin is tight on the body, a veritable 
condition of "hide-bound." In old, chronic cases, these symptoms 

are all aggravated, and the 
emaciation is very great, as ex- 
hibited in the illustration. They 
will be dull at work, and bad 
smelling wind will be passing 
from them continually. When 
the habit of bolting the food is 
^ the cause, large particles of food 
will be found unmasticated and 
undioested among^ the duno-. A 
prominent sign denoting heart- 
burn, which generally accompanies indigestion, or rather is one form 
of the trouble, consists in the animal elevating the head and turning 
up the lip, as shown in the accompanjdng cut; and many Avill, at the 

same time, form a habit of licking the 
wall, particularly if lime enters into its 
composition. Dull, griping pains may 
come on at any time, but they are seldom 
severe. 

Treatment. — If the food is bolted, ex- 
amine the teeth, and if necessary rasp 
them down. Give the mild Purirative Pill No. 20, and chan<i"e the 
feed to bran mash and hay. If grass is in season, this also will 
gi-eatly benetit. Give one of the following powders in the feed, three 
times a day : 




EFFECTS OF CHKONIC INDIGESTION. 




THE SIGN OF HEAKT-BURN. 



No. 30. 



Bicarbonate of soda, 6 ounces. 
Powdered gentian, 4 ounces. 
Mix, and divide into twenty-four powders. 



DISEASES or THE MOUTH AND STOMACH. 349 

Follow up the above with any of the tonic powders given in our 
"■Recapitulation of Remedies." 

For foals, give half a pint of linseed oil, and see that they get their 
milk at regular and frequent intervals. They may be given doses of 
say half the bicarbonate povt^ders above prescribed, and twice instead 
of three times a day. 

IX. Stomach or "Blind" Staggers. 

This is also called grass staggers, as it is frequently developed 
from overloading the stomach and hoven with grass. 

Causes. — Gorging the stomach with food after a fast, or from 
eating large quantities of indigestible food, such as hard, fiorous, 
innutritions hay, or musty hay or oats; also over-eating green food, 
such as clover, etc. , especially after it has been long cut and wilted. 
On some of these aliments the gastric juice of the stomach is unable 
to act, while others ferment, and evolve astonishing quantities of 
various gases. 

Symptoms. — The first thing noticed is uneasiness, pawing and 
looking at the sides. In some cases the belly is found tucked up, 
while in others it is greatly distended by gas. In the latter, all the 
signs of wind colic will be seen, as violent rolling, walking around 
with the head to the ground, and frequent passages of wind by the 
rectum. As the disease progresses, the brain becomes affected, and 
the sufferer appears delirious or blind, walking right up against an}^- 
thing that happens to be in the way. In the last stages, he will sit 
on his haunches like a dog, and gas and food may even be passed 
through the nose and mouth. These are unmistakable signs of rup- 
ture of the stomach or bowels, and show the case to be hopeless. 

Treatment. — This disease is very rapid in its progress, and what is 
decided on must be done quickly. There is not one moment to lose. 
Try and arrest the fermentation, and neutralize the gas with either of 
the following drenches : 

No. 31. Oil of turpentine, ,^ ounce. 

Oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Give at one dose, and repeat in an hour. 

No. 32. Strong ammonia water, i^ ounce. 

Oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 



350 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



This is to be given same as the other. If much pain is present, 

the drench for wind colic, No. 35, may be given. 

As a last resort, the veterinarian Vi^ill draw the wind off, by means 

of a trocar and canula, the instruments shown on page . The 

place to puncture is the right side, in the centre 
of the triangle formed by the point of the hip, 
the last rib and the back-bone. The trocar 
should be pushed downward, but not too nuich 
inward, as it would be likely to injure the kid- 
ney. In bad cases, the canula may be left in 
the gut for from six to eight hours, and the 
medicine injected through it. 




WHERE TO TAP 
BLIND STAGGERS 



FOR 



X. Rupture of the Stomach or Bowels. 
The place ia as described in This is uot iufrequcntl}^ Seen as a rcsult of 

the text, anywhere at the •,^ , ^ , • i t mi 

upper end of the colon. either stomach staggcrs or wind colic. The 
animal becomes clammy and cold; he continues 
to walk, or rather to stagger, in a dazed way, running up against any 
object near him ; sweat runs off in streams ; gas is belched through 
the mouth and nose ; the muscles of the body tremble violently. The 
expression of the face is haggard and pitiful in the extreme. In this 
state the sufferer may suddenly drop dead, or he may fall and be 
unable to rise, continuing to struggle, however, until death results 
from sheer exhaustion or from the disease. 

Don't waste a thought on treatment. There is no possible chance 
of recovery after a rupture has once taken place. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

DISEASES OP THE INTESTINES. 



I. SPASMODIC OR CRAMP COLIC. II. FLATULENT OR WIND COLIC. III. 

INFLAMMATION OP THE BOWELS, OR ENTERITIS. IV. DIARRHOEA. V. 

DYSENTERY. VI. CONSTIPATION. VII. HAIR-BALLS AND CONCRETIONS. 

^^VIII. WORMS. IX. HEMORRHOIDS, OR PILES. X. HERNIA, OR RUP- 
TURE. 

I. Spasmodic or Cramp Colic. 

The small and large intestines of the horse are very subject to 
cramps. From some nerve irritation, the muscular coat of the gut 
contracts. The passage of food thus- being stopped, it is likely to 




THE FIRST SIGNS OF COLIC. 

ferment, and the bowels to become distended with gas, and so the 
case often passes on into wind colic. 

Causes. — Usually some error in feeding or watering, such as drink- 
ing cold water when very hot, thug producing a reaction of the sj^s- 
tem, or drinking water immediately after feeding, and washing the 
imperfectly digested food through to the large intestines. It may be 
seen also in connection with indigestion, or stomach staggers, in con- 
sequence of the system being unable to assimilate the indigestible 

351 



352 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



inaterials which have found their way into the stomach; or, in fact^ 
from ahnost any weakness or derangement of the digestive organs. 
Frozen roots, damp grasses, succulent foods, or too hearty a nieal 
after a long fast, may, any of them, bring it on. Irritation, pro- 
duced by worms, dust-balls, concretions, stoppage of the water, or 
bots on their outward passage, are frequent causes. Purgative 
medicines may likewise cause severe griping, especially when the ani- 
mal's system has not been properly prepared for them. In the case 
of a stallion, a special examination should be made for scrotal hernia. 
(See Section X of this chapter.) 

Symptoms. — The attack comes on suddenly ; the horse paws with 
the .fore feet, kicks at the belly, looks at the tlanks, and in every 
action manifests great uneasiness; he will throw 
himself down and roll violently about, but, rising 
presently, he shakes himself, and for a little while 
may, perhaps, appear as well as ever. But the 
cramps may return at any moment, and he become 
worse than before. Under treatment they will gen- 
erally disappear, and, though returning again and 
again, each succeeding paroxysm will be milder 
than the preceding. In bad cases, it is generally 
all over wnth the poor brute in from three to four 
hours. Sometimes cramp colic runs on into in- 
flammation of the bowels. How to distinguish 
between the two diseases will be explained m con- 
nection with the latter. 

Treatment. — To relieve the cramps must be the 
first endeavor. Any anti-spasmodic drug, combined 
with a laxative, will do. Either of the following 
cramp colic drenches may be given, and if necessary repeated in half 
an hour : 

No. 33. Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 

Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix, and give as one dose. 

No. 34. Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 

Sulphuric ether, 1 ounce. 
Water or oil, 1 pint. 

Mix, and give as one dose. 

These should be followed, after recovery, with the Purgative Pill 

No. 18. 




HYPODERMIC 
SYRINGE. 



DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 353 

The use of from three to five grains of the sulphate of morphia 
will be followed b}^ immediate relief ; the morphine is dissolved in a 
teaspoonful of water, and injected under the loose skin of any part of 
the body — generally around the neck — with a hypodermic syringe, an 
approved form of which instrument is herewith illustrated. 

The hind bowels should be cleaned out with the hand "back- 
raking," or by using a funnel and a piece of hose, three to four 
quarts of warm soapsuds and water being allowed to gravitate into 
the bowels through the anus. Should the cramps still continue, put 
hot water blankets to the belly, or rub it with mustard and water, or 
with turpentine. 

When worms are suspected, some efiicient vermifuge should be 
given, as, if present, they will be likely to induce other attacks. (See 
Section VIII of this chapter. ) 

II. Flatulent or Wind Colic. 

This in many respects resembles cramp colic, of which it is often 
a sequel, but has the additional feature of a great formation of gases 
by the retained food fermenting. 

Causes. — The causes are the same as those of spasmodic colic, 
errors of diet, and cramming the stomach with indigestible foods, 
being principally to blame. It is likewise associated, in many cases, 
with other diseases, notabh^ with stomach staggers. 

Symptoms. — At first the symptoms are identical with those of 
cramp colic, but, as the gas forms, the pain becomes continuous and 
the belly is highly swollen. The sufferer wishes to lie down and roll, 
but he will make many attempts before this is accomplished, being 
evidently afraid to do so; when he finally does get down, copious 
passages of wind are likely to reward his efforts in rolling. When 
the attack lasts several hours, symptoms similar to stomach staggers 
are developed, such as stupidity, blindness, continuous walking, etc. 
These indicate that the brain is becoming involved. 

Treatment. — This will consist in using remedies to relieve the 
spasm and neutralize the gas, for which purposes either of the fol- 
lowing wind colic drenches can be recommended as efiicient, to be 
given as one dose, and repeated in half an hour if necessary : 

No. 35. Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 

Oil of turpentine, 1 ounce. 
Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
23 



354 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

No. 36. Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm. 

Aromatic spirits of ammonia, 1 ounce. 
Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

The hind bowels should be relieved by the hand, or by the funnel 
with soap and water, as directed for cramp colic. The belly may be 
rubbed with turpentine or mustard, or hot cloths may be applied. 

When the medicines give no relief, and the gas continues to form, 
the only thing left to do is to use the trocar and canula, as advised 




TROCAK AND CANULA. 

The perforation is made with the sharp-pointed trocar in position within the canula; then the 
trocar is drawn out by the handle, and the gas or fluid finds vent throught the now empty 
canula. 

for stomach staggers. In bad cases the canula maybe left in the 
gut for six to eight hours ; medicine injected through it will reach 
the part direct, and any gas forming will immediately pass off. 
III. Inflammation of the Bowels, or Enteritis. 

Inflammation of the bowels is a vague expression on the lips of 
most persons, meaning any one of perhaps three different diseases; 
and it is so just the same, whether the patient is human or of the 
horse kind. But, correctly speaking, it should be restricted to a cer- 
tain very dangerous inflammation of the lining membrane of the 
bowels, which generally extends to the other conts. The morbid 
changes that are here seen resemble those occurring in a muscle, 
bone or any other part, when inflamed, — congestion, effusion, 
and, in a favorable issue, resolution, or, when unfavorable, mortifica- 
tion and death. Any part of the intestines may be the seat of the 
orio-inal attack, but it is the small intestines in the lio-hter classes of 
horses, and the large intestines in the heavy breeds, which are most 
generally involved. 

Causes. — This is one of the most common sequels of spasmodic colic, 
which merges into it imperceptibly. Dust-balls, or concretions in the 
bowels, or worms in the mesenteric arteries of the intestines, Avill also 
cause it. Or it may result from eating or drinking irritating substances, 
either by accident or Avhen administered for the cure of colic; or from 



DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 



355 



drinking cold water when heated ; and in very many cases the cause 
remains unknown. 

Symptoms. — There are usually some premonitory symptoms : the 
horse probably is dull, the legs and ears cold, the food is not eaten, 
and he stands with his head down in a dejected sort of way. This 
being an inflammatory disease, the temperature will be slightly ele- 
vated, and the pulse and breathing quickened. 

These symptoms, as the disease progresses, will be replaced by 
colicky pains, pawing, turning the head and looking at the flanks, 
and hesitating attempts at lying down. Once down, he will roll and 
try to remain on his back, as 
this position evidently gives a 
degree of ease. The pain is 
continuous, and it gradually 
increases, along with a quicker 
pulse and respiration, and pres- 
ently sweat will stream off the v^ 
body. Owing to the difiiculty 
of distinguishing between this 
disease and spasmodic colic (a 
thing which it is highly im- 
portant to make no mistake in 
doing), we have prepared 
contrasted tables of symptoms, and present them herewith in oppo- 
site columns. 




INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS, OR ENTER- 
ITIS. 



SPASMODIC COLIC. 

Comes on suddenly. 
Pain is intermittent. 
Pain is violent (in paroxysms) from 
the start. 
Pulse natural. 
Temperature natural. 



ENTERITIS. 

Has premonitary signs. 
Pain is continuous. 
Pain commences as uneasiness simply 
and increases. 
Pulse gradually increases. 
Temperature elevated. 



As the disease gains the upper hand and death approaches, the 
temperature falls, the skin becomes cold and clammy, but the victim 
most likely struggles up to the last moment of life. 

Treatment. — Place in a comfortable box stall, and clothe warmly 
to restore the superficial circulation. To combat the fever, give ten 
drops of tincture of aconite, in a little water, every half hour, de- 
creasing the dose as the pulse becomes slower. Drench with No. 33, 
or No. 34, with plenty of oil, as directed for spasmodic colic. 



356 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Hot blankets, poultices, mustard or turpentine, may also be ap- 
plied to the belly. Morphine, as prescribed for cramp colic, is like- 
wise of great benefit. 

The bowels should be relieved at frequent intervals by means of the 
funnel and soap and water, as mentioned in the two preceding sec- 
tions. After recovery, this treatment may be followed by the Pur- 
gative Pill No. 20. 

IV. Diarrhoea. 

This condition is said to exist whenever the faeces, or dung, becomes 
abnormally soft or liquid. It may be looked on as an effort of nature 
to rid herself of some irritatino- substance in or through the dioestive 
tract. 

Causes. — Indigestible food; changing the feed, especially from a 
dry to a soft one ; the action of various medicines, etc. Horses of a 
certain conformation, having narrow chests, thin flanks, and long- 
coupled, are very subject to diarrhoea, and for this reason they 
are often spoken of as "washy horses." Such a horse is very 
hard to keep in condition, and is very easily upset. He cannot be 
expected to prove a very good worker; yet, at slow work, he may, 
perhaps, lay on flesh, and retain it too. Diarrhoea is also seen in ad- 
vanced stages of various debilitating diseases, as pneumonia, blood 
poisoning, intestinal and liver disorders, etc., in these cases indicating 
the near approach of dissolution. 

Symptoms. — Frequent evacuations of soft or fluid fseces, having 
the color of the substance producing it; when, for instance, from 
grass, they are green, but give iron powders and they will change 
to black. In simple diarrhoea there is very little or no smell, but 
when the trouble arises from a breaking down of the system, the 
evacuations will seem fairly putrid. 

Treatment. — The purging being the result of some irritant, it 
behooves us to encourage the discharge which will remove it. True, 
this is contrary to the old practice of stopping the purging as quickly 
as possible; but it is well to remember the old axiom (sound in every 
syllabic), "Remove the cause, and the effect will cease." Examine 
the feed and water, and see that they are good and sweet; and for 
medication, give a pint of linseed oil. This simple dose, by removing 
the irritant, will, in mild cases, be all that is necessary. If, however, 
the purging continues, give either of the following: 



DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 357 

No. 37. Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 

Tannic acid, 1 drachm. 

Water, % pint. 

Mix. 

Make one dose, repeating it three times a day. 

No. 38. Powdered catecliu, % ounce. 

Powdered opium, y^ ounce. 
Powdered camphor, 3^ ounce. 

Molasses or lard, sufficient to mix. 

Make four pills, and give one of them three times a day. 

After the diarrhoea is checked, stimulants may be used to restore 

the strength. For this purpose brandy is the best. 

V. Dysentery. 

This is an attenuated condition of diarrhoea that is rarely seen 
in horses ; yet there is a liability, always, that the causes producing 
the one may, by an unfavorable turn, lead to the other. 

Symptoms. — Great weakness, probably shivering, arching of the 
back, and violent straining. The fseces are fluid, composed of blood 
and mucous, and with a very offensive odor. There may be colicky 
pain, and gas may form from decomposing matter. In a severe case, 
death may close the scene in from three to six days after the appear- 
ance of the blood-streaked passages. 

Treatment. — First of all make the animal comfortable in a warm 

box, with plenty of clothing. Give a pint of linseed oil, and follow 

this in about four hours with astringent medicines, such as No. 37 or 

No. 38; or the following, which in some cases will be best of all: 

No. 39. Perchloride of iron, 2 drachms. 

Tannic acid, 1 drachm. 

Water or milk, 1 pint. 

Mix, and give as one dose. 

This dose may be repeated every four hours. 

When the discharge is unbearably offensive, sprinkle the place with 

chloride of lime, and give the following drench internally three times 

a day: 

No. 40. Hyposulphite of soda, y^ ounce. 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix, and give as one dose. 

In this disease, which is very fatal when fairly established, the 
continuous drain on the system causes great weakness, so that the 
strength will need to be supported by the liberal use of whiskey, or, 
better still, of brandy. Beer, porter, or other malt liquors, should 



358 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

not be used, as they have a direct tendency to produce a state of 
diarrhoea. From ignorance on this point, mischief may be done. 

VI. Constipation. 
Constipation, or costiveness, is characterized by a stoppage, more 
or less complete, of the intestinal movements, or a lack of peristaltic 
action, as it is called in the language of science. Fatal results some- 
times follow. 

Causes. — These are very numerous, such as feeding dry, fibrous 
food, like hay, for example, over-ripe when cut. Rye and barley 
straw are especially open to this objection, but oats straw, in a 
regulated feed, seldom causes this trouble. Other causes are imper- 
fect mastification from diseased or irregular teeth; a lack of water in 
proper quantities ; or, again, too much lime in the water habitually 
given. It may also be seen after diarrhoea, sometimes from Nature's 
excessive reaction, but oftener in consequence of overdosing with 
astringents, or, occasionally, from paralysis of the bowels. Hair- 
balls and concretions also be- 
long in the category of its 
causes ; but these will be spec- 
ially considered in the next 
section. 

Symptoms. — The observant 
stableman or driver will notice 
that the bowels are not acting ; 
A SUFFERER FROM CONSTIPATION. the auiuial appcars dull and 

The tuckedup belly, the attiuule, and general ex- listlcSS : and if the ear Is 
pression of suffering are plainly shown. i . , i , i 

puiced to the abdomen, there 
is no sound audible, such as may plainly be heard in the case of an 
animal in health. Pains ensue, with the uneasiness and rolling al- 
ready described as colicky pains. Repeated and violent straining- 
fails of its object, and the horse paws and kicks at the belly, in the 
vain endeavor to obtain relief. By inserting the hand in the rectum 
a stringy mucus will be found Avhich is often mistaken for worms. 
AVhcn due to liair-b-'ills and concretions, the symptoms vary some- 
what according to the part affected, a matter that will be suitably 
treated of on the next page. 

Treatment. — Ascertain the cause, if possible, and change the food 
to a laxative diet, such as bran mashes, oil-cake, beets, carrots, etc. 
Examine the teeth, also, and, if necessarv, have them attended 1o. 




DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 359 

Give a pint of linseed oil, and follow this by Purgative Pill JSIo. 18. 
In addition, give the following — a wineglassful in half a pint of water 
four times a day : 

No. 41. Tincture of mix vomica, 1 ounce. 

Extract of belladonna, )^ ounce. 
Powdered alum, 2 ounces. 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Warm injections of soap and water, by means of the funnel, as 
recommended for colic, will nearly always be of great benefit. 

VII. Hail-balls and Concretions. 

To these are due many cases of colic and constipation, especially 
amono; old horses. Hair-balls are formed from the habit some horses 
have of licking one another, or from eating the sweeping of mill 
floors containino; the beard of the a;rain. Pass 
ing to the bowels, these substances become 
matted together by the mucus which is secreted 
as the result of the intestinal irritation. Concre- 
tigns are usually deposits of salts, from the in- 
testinal juices, around some nucleus, such as a 
piece of nail ; or they come from the matting 
together of sand or earth, which has been par- 
taken of through some morbid appetite; or, 
instead, particles of food may be imbedded in 
them, the whole being bound together by the an intestinal con- 
secretion, the mucus, already spoken of. cretion. 

Symptoms.— Hair-balls are frequently found Showing the central nu- 

/ r _ ^ 'J cleus, and the layers of 

among the dung, having caused no trouble on concreted substance that 

. , . T> i. ii J- 1 j_i have formed around it. 

their passage. But they are not alwaj's thus 

harmless ; they often cause great pain while slowly working their way 
through the intestinal canal. The animal may even sit on his 
haunches like a dog, and so continue perhaps for daj's, and only get 
relief at last by the ball shifting to some more favorable position. 
Later the pain may, perhaps, recur as bad as ever; at least, the 
liability to this will be ever present until the ball has been passed. 

As to concretions, these often form in very large bodies, of irreg- 
ular shape, and.from long retention in the intestines make for them- 
selves a kind of pouch in which to lie. While undisturbed in this 
pouch all is well, but as soon as they shift to a new location, suffer- 




360 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

ing ensues, which is often very great. They may cause constipation 
by obstructing the bowels, and in these cases there is great danger of 
a fatal termination. Yet, small concretions have been passed without 
much trouble. 

When a hair-ball or concretion is in the small intestines, the horse 
will paw with the fore feet, turn the head to the side, and stand with 
the fore lee's stretched forward. When it is in the larofe intestines, 
especially towards the back, he will strain violently, and push back 
against the wall. 

Treatment. — This will consist in using the remedies prescribed for 

the relief of pain in spasmodic colic. Always back-rake when any 

obstruction is suspected, as it may be the obstruction is within reach 

through the anus. 

VIII. Worms. 

Of the many different species of worms which are found infecting 
the stomach and intestines of the horse, the principal are as follows : 

Ascarides. — Small, white worms from one-half to one inch long. 
Though found in all parts of the stomach and intestines, the}^ chieily 
locate in the caecum, a portion of the large gut. (See engraving 
on page 184). 

Strongyli and Oxyuris. — These two kinds are also small, resem- 
bling the ascarides. They are found in the caecum, and colon of the 
large intestines, and the duodenum of the small, and also in the 
stomach, 

Lumbrici. — These are a large, yellowish-white, round worm, taper- 
ing at each end. They are from six to twelve inches long, and are 
never numerous. 

Taenia, qr Tape-Worm. — The tape-worm rarely troubles the horse, 
though quite common among dogs. Each segment of this parasite 
contains a complete set of generative organs, this being a herma- 
phrodite worm, and hence unless the head is expelled, the worm will 
grow again. 

Symptoms of Worms. — The presence of worms may never be sus- 
pected until they are seen in the dung. Indigestion and diarrhoea are 
but two out of many evils traceable to them at times. The coat, like- 
wise, will be rough and dry, the skin is hide-bound, and the tail is 
rubbed from the irritation around its root. The remains of the yel- 
low worms we have mentioned may be seen around the anal opening, 
through which they have been squeezed. Horses troubled with 



DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 361 

worms may eat heartily, yet never gain in condition, the reason be- 
ing that they are so largely defrauded of nutrition by these parasites 
absorbing it. 

Treatment. — Prepare the patient by a soft diet for several days, 
then compel eight hours' complete fasting, and give a strong vermi- 
fuge, either No. 31 or the following, in a little wet feed: 

No. 42. Powdered santonin, 1 ounce. 

Powdered areca nut, 15 grains. 
Mis, and make one powder. 

The strength of the powder will have to be reduced according to 
age, when administered to colts. 

Follow the vermifuge in an hour or two with a bran mash, and then 
the ordinary feed. A day or two later Purgative Pill No. 20 may ad- 
vantageously be used, to carry off the remaining worms. 

It may be necessary to repeat the above course once a week for a 
month, in order to make sure of thorough work. 

As worms contain no iron in their system, and this element is to 
them a deadly poison, it may be used with great benefit in effecting 
their riddance. The following is an excellent prescription for this 
purpose : 

No. 43. Sulphate of iron, 3 ounces. 

Sugar, 3 ounces. 

Mix. 

Make twenty-four powders, and give one three times a day in the 

feed. 

IX. Hemorrhoids, or Piles. 

These likewise are very rarely seen in the horse, but are more com- 
mon in the dog. The swelling of the membrane around the anus, 
with which they begin, is followed by a characteristic dilatation of the 
veins, appearing as soft, prominent fingers, or tumors. They are not 
always external and visible; they may be internal, and noticeable only 
at the time of dunging. 

Symptoms. — A persistent switching of the tail, for which there is 
no other cause discoverable, gives reason to suspect piles, as this is 
a natural effect from the irritation that they produce on defecation, 
the dung in most cases being tinged with blood. 



362 THE AMERICAN FAKMEr's HORSE BOOK. 

Treatment. — At the commencement, this will necessarily be of a 
soothing nature. The use of warm water is very beneficial. This 
may be followed by applying the following ointment : 

No. 44. Powdered galls, 1 drachm. 

Powdered opium, 15 grains. 
Lard or vaseline, )^ ounce. 
Mix. 

In old cases where the tumors are prominent, these may be tied 
close to the base, and allowed to drop off; or they may be snipped off 
with the scissors. No after-treatment will be necessary in either case. 
X. Hernia, or Rupture. 

The commonly used word, rupture, when speaking of this trouble, 
is simply an abbreviation, indicating a rupture of the coats of the ab- 
dominal walls. It may be of only one of the walls or of all of them, 
excepting, of course, the skin. Through the opening the bowels pass, 
and make their appearance as a lump of very variable size. Accord- 
ing to the part of the wall involved, the hernia is given a special 
name. Umbilical hernia is seen from failure of the navel opening to 
close at birth. Scrotal hernia is mostly seen, in foals, from a relaxed 
condition of the muscles that ought to have closed the opening 
through which the testicle has come. Ventral hernia occurs through 
any other part of the abdominal wall. 

A hernia is said to be "reducible" when, by placing the animal on 
his back it disappears, the protruded bowel having slipped back to its 
natural place; "irreducible," when it will not do this; and "strangu- 
lated" when the protruded sac fills with food, etc., whicli is detained 
there by mechanical conditions, followed soon b}^ a stoppage of the 
circulation, and eventually by mortification and death. 

Causes. — In foals, besides non-closure of the navel opening at 
birth, hernia may come from the foal sucking at the end of the um- 
bilical cord, or by the mother stepping on it. In old animals it is 
usually the penalty of violent exertion, or may come from goring by 
cows; in mares, the weight of a foal on a weak part of the wall may 
cause it, and in stallions a strain or struggling while serving a mare. 

Symptoms. — There is a visible swelling, which in simple cases is 
usually soft, permitting the gut to be pushed back, and the opening 
in the wall felt. In stallions, scrotal hernia oives siffns similar to 
colic, for wdiich it is often mistaken. When a hernia is strangulated 
it causes intense pain, similar to enteritis, or inflammation of the 
bowels; and if not relieved, it must soon end fatallv. 



DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 



363 



In the mare, a hernia is a very serious trouble, on account of the 
great strain on the walls of the abdomen during delivery. The excel- 
lent engraving we here present is from a photograph. It should be 
studied by every stock breeder. In hernia, of whatever description, 
the swelling becomes larger on making the subject cough. This, ac- 
cordingly, is the usual and sufficient test when any doubt exists. 

Treatment. — The treatment of umbilical hernia in the foal is sim- 
ple. The use of pressure by means of a bandage is usually sufficient. 




ABDOMINAL HERNIA IN MARE WITH FOAL. 
(Engraved for this wovt from a Photograph.) 

For ventral hernia the animal is cast, the sac carefully opened, and 
the finger inserted to break up any adhesions that may have formed; 
then the gut is pushed into the belly, and two clean skewers are 
crossed at right angles through the skin as close to the opening as 
possible, and a piece of strong twine wound below these, the skewers 
being allowed to drop off with the slough. The treatment of scrotal 
hernia is very complicated, but at times by placing the animal on his 
back, manipuhition will succeed in effecting the return of llie gut to 
its proper place. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

DISEASES OP THE LIVER AND SPLEEN. 



I. IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF THE LIVER. II. ORGANIC DISEASES OF THE LIV- 
ER. III. INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER, OR HEPATITIS. IV. FATTY LIV- 
ER. V. JAUNDICE, OR YELLOWS. VI. ENLARGEMENT OF THE SPLEEN. 

I. Important Functions of the Liver, 

The purpose which the liver sub.serves in the animal economy is an 
important one, and upon the proper discharge of the functions of this 
organ the health of any animal is largely dependents It is in the 
liver that the bile is eliminated from the blood, and hence this viscus 
is considered a gland, by far the largest one in the body. Using the 
terms excretion and secretion in the distinctive senses indicated on 
page 179 of this work, the action of the liver is both secretive and 
excretory — secretive because the admixture of bile with the chyle is 
essential to the healthy performance of the digestive process ; excre- 
tory because if the bile were allowed to remain in the blood, it would 
vitiate and poison the entire circulation. These considerations will 
l)etter enable us to understand how important a bearing the condition 
of this organ must have upon the general health. 

In the horse, the bile from the liver, together with a whitish fluid 
from the pancreas (or sweet-bread, as it is familiarly called) enters the 
small intestines at the termination of the duodenum, about twenty- 
two inches from the pyloric orifice of the stomach. These secretions 
are conveyed through the biliary and pancreatic ducts, which are 
shown near a, in the cut of the intestines on page 184. The horse 
has no gall-bladder, so that the bile, as fast as it is eliminated from 
the blood, passes directly to the intestines. He is less subject to 
liver complaints than any of the other domestic animals, or than his 
master — man. 

II. Organic Diseases of the Liver. 

That liver complaints are not common among horses is a circum- 
stance which the farmer may well be thankful for, on account of the 
obscurity of the symptoms in such cases, and the extreme difliculty 

364 



DISEASES OF THE LIVER AND SPLEEN. 365 

of determining precisely what the trouble is. Often it is only by a 
post mortem examination that the most experienced can make a diag- 
nosis even tolerably satisfactory. Perhaps the following extract 
from that usually precise and reliable veterinarian, Youatt, will illus- 
trate all that we could wish to say upon the vagueness and uncer- 
tainty which surrounds our knowledge of hepatic diseases. 

"If horses, destroyed on account of other complaints^ are examined 
when they are not more than five years old, the liver is usually found 
in the most healthy state ; but, when they arrive at eight, or nine, or 
ten years, this viscus is frequently increased in size; it is less elastic 
under pressure ; it has assumed more of a granulated or broken-down 
appearance; the blood does not so readily permeate its vessels, and, 
at length, in a greater or less quantity, it begins to exude, and is 
either confined under the peritoneal covering, or oozes into the cavity 
of the belly. There is nothing, for awhile, to indicate the existence 
of this. The horse feeds well, is in apparent health, in good condi- 
tion, and capable of constant work, notwithstanding so fatal a chanoe 
is taking place in this important viscus ; but, at length, the peritoneal 
covering of the liver suddenly gives way, and the contents of the 
abdomen are deluged with blood, or a sufficient quantity of this fluid 
has gradually oozed out to interfere with the functions of the viscera. 

"The symptoms of this sudden change are pawing, shifting the 
posture, distension of the belly, curling of the upper lip ; sighing 
frequently and deeply; the mouth and nostrils pale and blanched; 
the breathing quickened; restlessness, debility, fainting, and death. 

'•On opening the abdomen, the intestines are found to be deluged 
with dark venous blood. The liver is either of a fawn, or light yellow, 
or brown color, easily torn by the finger, and, in some cases, com- 
pletely broken down." 

III. Inflammation of the Liver, or Hepatitis. 

This is exceedingly rare in the horse, and is very seldom, if ever, 
diagnosed as a distinctive disease. The veterinarian is likely to know 
it only as the result of an accident. 

Symptoms. — The animal is feverish, the pulse quickened, and the 
eyes more or less bloodshot. From the stoppage of the flow of bile, 
constipation presently results, the dung is dry, and like clay in appear- 
ance, and the water is high colored. The sufferer will be noticed to turn 
his head and look anxiously at his side, thus suggesting where the 




366 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

pain is, and on pressing there witli the hand he will wince in a way 
that leaves no doubt on this point. 

Treatment. — For the fever give the Fever Powder No. 21, or any 
of the febrifuges mentioned in the "Eecapitulation of Kemedies." 
Kelax the bowels by a soft diet, give a pint of linseed oil, and after- 

I wards Pill No. 18. For the further relief 
of the constipation, use the funnel, etc., or 
try back-raking, all in manner as laid down 
for spasmodic colic. 

A Good Drenching Horn. — The linseed 
oil above described will, of course, be given 
AN APPROVED DRENCHING ^^ ^ drcuch. Our iUustratiou presents a 

better form of the drenching horn than any 
of the old-fashioned kinds, making it easy to give the drench without 
spilling, or splashing it on the clothes. 

IV. Fatty Liver. 

This is occasionally found among horses, but, as a rule, its exist- 
ence can only be detected after death, or, in other words, by a post 
mortem examination. It mostly occurs in heavy breeds of horses 
that are very highly fed ; they receive more oil-forming materials in 
the system than it is possible to assimilate. It is sometimes seen in 
the rapid emaciation of debilitating disease ; the fatty tissues through- 
out the body being absorbed into the blood, more work is tlirown 
upon the liver than it is possible for that organ to properly perform. 
The oil being stored up in cells here, structural changes are brought 
about — the liver becomes large, soft and pale-colored. 

Hepatitis is thought to be the cause of many of the sudden deaths 
that occur among the large breeds of horses ; and it is also supposed 
to cause various inflammatory disorders of the bowels b}' interfering 
with the flow of the bile. 

Treatment. — As the disease is hardly ever capable of being diag- 
nosed, not much can be said in regard to treatment. If this condi- 
tion is suspected from the presence of certain sjmiptoms traceable to 
no other cause, the feed should be reduced and laxatives used ; (u- the 
more active Purgative Pill No. 18 \w\\j be given. The animal 
should be carefully dieted, with a large proportion of laxative food, 
until his health is entirely regained. 



DISEASES OF THE LIVER AND SPLEEN. 



367 




BALLING-IRON. 



The Balling-Iron. — The balling-iron (shown in the cut) is of great 
service in administering pills, etc., by keeping the horse's mouth 
open. As many farmers have never seen one used, we will briefly 
describe it. The horse's mouth being open, the balling-iron is pushed 
into it ; through the part shaped like a D lying 
on its round side, comes the animal's lower 
jaw, the points at the opposite end of the iron 
being outside the gums of the upper jaw. The 
operator's hand, with the ball to be adminis- 
tered, is passed through the elliptical opening 
between these points. 

V. Jaundice, or Yellows. 
Occasionally this is seen in the horse as an 
independent disease, but much more commonly , ^. , * ^, , „• 

r ^ J Another form of the ballmg- 

in connection with other diseases. iron is shown at the close 

-4 ny\ /■ • T • ii J? •! of Chapter XXXIV. 

Cause. — ihe cause ot jaundice is the failure 
of the liver to separate the bile constituents from the blood. This 
failure is sometimes due to disease of the liver which obstructs the 
flow of bile, while, in other cases, it seems to be closely connected 
with disease of the heart or other organs. 

Symptoms. — The yellowness of the eyes and mouth, and of the 
skin where it is not covered with hair, mark it sufficiently plain. The 
dung is small and hard, the urine highly colored, the horse languid, 
and his appetite impaired. If he is not soon relieved, he sometimes 
begins to express considerable uneasiness ; at other times he is dull, 
heavy, and stupid. A characteristic symptom is lameness of the 
right fore-leg, resembling the pain in the right shoulder of the human 
being in hepatic affections. 

Treatment. — It is necessary, first of all, to inquire whether this 
affection of the liver is not the consequence of the sympathy of that 
oagan with some other part : for, to a very considerable degree, it is 
an accompaniment of inflammation of the bowels and the lungs, and 
disappears as soon as those diseases are subdued. If there is no 
other apparent ailment, an endeavor to restore the natural passage of 
the bile by purgatives may be made. For this purpose Pill No. 18 
will be very suitable. The horse should have plenty of water and a 
light diet. Thin gruel or bran mash will be good for him. 



368 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Giving a Pill. — There will be little trouble in administering a pill, 
if it is held in the manner shown in the accompanying cut. It is to 

be dropped far back in the mouth, 



on the base of the tongue. With 
the aid of the balling-iron the 
most unwilling patient may be 
readily managed. 




THE "WAY TO HOLD A PILL. 



VI. Enlargement of the Spleen. 

What is the precise function of the spleen — or milt, as it is com- 
monly called — has never been fully demonstrated. The old theory 
that it served as a reservoir for the storage of blood has been replaced 
by the better founded one that it destroys the worn-out blood cor- 
puscles. This strange organ is subject to enlargement, but from 
what cause, or by what remedies to counteract it, no one seems to 
have more than surmised. The candid veterinarian will confess his 
ignorance on this subject, which he need not be ashamed to do, since 
every candid physician must do the same. It is, at all events, a sub- 
ject of no practical moment to the farmer, the supposed symptoms 
being anything but determinate or reliable. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 
DISEASES OP THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 



I. INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS, OR NEPHRITIS. II. DIABETES. III. 

STOPPAGE OF THE URINE, OR DYSUREA. IV. AZOTUREA. V. INFLAM- 
MATION OF THE BLADDER, OR CYSTITIS. VI. RUPTURE OF THE BLADDER. 

VII. SPASM OF THE BLADDER. VIII. STONE OR GRAVEL (CALCULUS) 

IN THE BLADDER. 

I. Inflammation of the Kidneys, or Nephritis. 

The kidneys are frequently the seat of disease, one of whose most 
acute manifestations is that of inflammation, technically denominated 
nephritis. 

Causes. — The causes of this condition are various. Pej'haps as 
common as any is exposure of the loins to wet when the animal stands 
still for a long time, especially if the atmosphere is raw and chilly, 
as well as damp. We know also that when certain substances are 
introduced into the stomach, and subjected to the digestive process, 
their absorption results in very marked irritation and disturbance of 
renal action, (renal being a word that signifies "relating to the 
kidneys," which were anciently called the reins). Thus, moldy feed 
of every kind is found to have a strong tendency to bring on urinary 
diseases. Many strong diuretics, of which ignorant practitioners are 
so extremely fond, possess the same hurtful properties in such de- 
gree as should condemn their use entirely, except in the hands of a 
man of known experience and caution. To this class belong all such 
mineral poisons as saltpetre, blue-stone, copperas and lead. Among 
vegetable poisons nux vomica (strj^chnine) has the same effect. 

The application of strong fly (cantharides) blisters to a large ex- 
tent of surface, in the region of the loins, or the administration of 
powdered Spanish flies internally, will also cause this trouble. 

Severe strains, and other injuries of the loins and hips, seem often 

to cause inflammation of the kiudeys, though the connection between 

the two circumstances is not very obvious ; and it has been supposed 

that the disease, in such cases, is developed by exposure to cold 

24 369 



370 



THE AMERICAN FARMEK S HOKSE BOOK. 



while in a state of exhaustion, or that some branch of the renal artery 
or vein has been ruptured by the violence of the preceding exertion. 
It may, likewise, result from the extension of inflammation from any 
adjoining diseased part. 

' We believe that bad treatment of every kind predisposes to renal 
affections, as one of the effects of constitutional debilit}^, and its ten- 
dency to functional derangement. For this reason, therefore, if the 
many stronger ones were all lacking, low, damp situations should 
always be avoided, and the foul air and fetid breath of many stables 
ought never to be tolerated. Finally, whatever produces disorder in 
the digestive apparatus will be quite apt to extend its harmful in- 
fluence to the kidneys also. 

Symptoms. — The early symptoms are generally those of fear ; but 
the seat of the disease soon becomes evident. The horse looks 

anxiously round at his flanks ; stands 
with his hind legs wide apart; is 
unwilling to lie down ; straddles as 
he walks ; expresses pain in turning ; 
shrinks when the loins are pressed, 
and some deo;ree of heat is felt 
there. The urine is A'Oided in small 
quantities ; frequently it is high- 
colored, and sometimes bloody. The 
attempt to urinate becomes more 
frequent, and the quantity voided 
smaller, until the animal strains painfully and violently, but the dis- 
charge is nearly or quite suppressed. The pulse is quick and hard — 
full in the early stage of the disease, but rapidly becoming small, yet 
not losing its character of hardness. 

How to Distinguish From Inflammation of the Bladder. — These 
symptoms clearl}' indicate an affection of the lu'inary organ,'^ ; but they 
do not distinguish inflammation of the kidney from that of the ])ladder. 
In order to effect this, the hand must l)e introduced into the rectum. 
If the bladder is felt full and hard under the rectum, there is inflam- 
mation of the neck of it; if it is empty, yet on the portion of the 
intestines innnediately over it, there is more than natural heat and 
tenderness, there is inflammation of the body of the ))ladder; and if 
the bladder is empty, and there is no increased heat or tenderness, 
there is inflammation of the kidney. 




INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 



DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 371 

Treatment. — First relieve the fever, by means of the following : 

No. 45. Tincture of aconite, j^ ounce. 

Liquor of ammonia acetate, 4 ounces. 
Mix. 

Give a dessert-spoonful every two hours, increasing the interval 
between doses as the fever subsides. In order to carry off a propor- 
tion of those fluids by the bowels which would otherwise pass by the 
kidneys, give Purgative Pill No. 18. Hot blankets or poultices 
should be kept on the loins, and changed frequently as they begin 
to cool. 

The diet should be light, easy of digestion, and of a mucilaginous 
character. For this purpose linseed tea will be best of all adapted ; 
oat meal gruel, with a little baking soda in it, will also be soothing. 

II. Diabetes. 

In this disease, which is comparatively common among horses, 
there is an excessive secretion of the urine. 

Causes. — Diabetes is gener- 
ally due to some too stimulat- 
ing element in the horse's 
water or food. Musty hay, 
oats, etc., are very apt to lay 
the foundation for it. At 
times it is produced by using 
certain druo-s for other pur- 

° '■ DIABETES. 

poses. 

^ ^ The attitude is characteristic. 

Symptoms. — Intense thirst; 
light-colored water passed very frequently — often almost clear; con- 
stant uneasiness, or pain in the loins, it being evident to even a 
casual observer that the animal wishes to pass more water. Weak- 
ness supervenes, the coat becomes harsh and staring, and sweating- 
appears on the least exertion. The fact is that the continual drain of 
fluid from the blood has brought on heart trouble along with the 
great debility ; and if this goes on unchecked, a fatal termination is 
inevitable. 

Treatment. — Change the food, Avater, medicine, or any other sus- 
pected cause. 

Pipe clay, pea meal, chalk, etc., in the drinking water, are all 
favorite remedies, and may be used in case of a hurrj^ ; but the f ol- 




372 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

lowing drench is far preferable, as it will check both the thirst and 

the secretion of the urine : 

No. 46. Iodide of potash, 1 ounce. 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Give a small wineglaissful every three hours on an empty stomach, 
and less frequently as the trouble disappears. 

Good sweet hay and pure outs will be the proper diet during con- 
valescence. When any debility remains, any of the tonic powders 
prescribed in this book will be likely to answer a good purpose in re- 
storing the appetite and strength. 

III. Stoppage of the Urine, or Dysurea. 

Causes. — This painful disorder is one of the occasional symptoms 
of gravel, and the presence of large calculi in the kidneys, bladder and 
urethra; but this, although the most conunon cause, is by no means 
the only one. The same effect may follow stricture of the urethra, 
from some mechanical injury, or from a collection of matter in the 
canal at the point of the penis. Such a collection is called a "bean," 
and occasionally it is found of a very large size. Stoppage may also 
result from the formation of tumors on the end of the organ. 

The urethra, as the reader will recollect, is the canal extending 
from the neck of the bladder, and through which the urine is voided. 
On account of its being so much shorter in the mare than in the 
horse, stoppage of urine is a much less prominent trouble with the 
former. But inflammation, swelling, or spasm of the neck of the blad- 
der, which also may obstruct or entirely prevent the urinal flow, is 
equally common to both sexes. From whatever cause it has orig- 
inated, such a condition is necessarily productive of intense pain, es- 
pecially when long continued. 

Symptoms. — The principal symptom is a straining in endeavoring 
to pass the water, which, nevertheless, dribbles away in drops, or may 
be stopped completely. This uneasiness is soon followed by great 
pain, evidenced by looking at the flanks, rolling, grunting and stamp- 
in o- with the hind and fore feet, in this respect resembling a case of 
colic. 

When due to a bean, the latter may readily be felt at the opening 
of the canal ; it will be recognized as :i collection of soft, sticky secre- 
tion from the surrounding glands. There will be no trouble in re- 



DISKASES OF THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 373 

moving it. The presence of a calculus or stone in the bladder may 
be determined pretty accurately by attending to the directions there- 
for which are given in Section VIII, of this chapter. When the stop- 
page is caused by a calculus (stone), it frequently happens that by 
the horse rolling the stone will be returned to the pouch in which it 
was formed, whereupon the symptoms will all subside, the animal ap- 
pearing perfectly well again. Nevertheless, such a horse is always 
very liable to colic, and if the stone is not removed, another or several 
more attacks will occur later, the result at last being fatal. 

Treatment. — First ascertain the cause, and if found to be a bean, 
tumor, stricture, or stone, adopt the proper mechanical or surgical 
means to remove it, with as little loss of time as possible. The cath- 
eter (see illustration), is here of the greatest value, whether for 
dilating a stricture or as an aid in locating a stone. It should be well 
greased before introducing into the urethral canal. When refuse 
matter collects in the bladder, it is not easy to remove. Lukewarm 
water may be injected through the catheter, and perhaps some of it 




SECTIONAL VIEW, ILLUSTKATING THE USE OF THE CATHETER. 

The catheter has been passed through the urethra into the bladder. 

in this way washed out. There is a class of drugs, called "anti- 
lithics," that have a certain power in dissolving salty concretions, 
and aiding in their removal. They are powerful acids, needing 
cautious handling. The following drench contains one of the best of 
them : 

No. 47. Dilute nitro-hydrochloric acid, 2 ounces. 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Give a small wineglassful three times a day in a quart of water, al- 
lowing the patient to drink from a bucket. 



374 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

The treatment for beans and stones will be considered a few pages 
later, under special headings. Tumors will have to be cut off, if 
there is a sufficiently skillful operator procurable, and the wound 
touched with a hot iron, to arrest the bleeding. 

IV. Azoturea. 

This affection is also known as hemoglobinuria, or, more loosely, 
paralysis. It is a peculiar disease among horses, that has been gen- 
erally recognized only in very recent times. 

Causes. — This ailment is found almost altogether among horses 
that are fat, and little worked. Whenever seen, it has always been 
after a rest of a day or a week, or perhaps still longer. To put the 
matter in simple language, they are cases in which the already highly 
charged blood has become loaded with nutriment in excess of the re- 
quirements of the system. 

Symptoms. — The manifestation of this disease is strikingly peculiar. 
While in the stable nothing unusual is noticed, and, in fact, the ex- 
pression is often used that when put in harness he never looked bet- 
ter. But after proceeding for a mile, or perhaps less, stiffness ap- 
pears, and a disinclination to move; then the muscles over the hips 
begin to swell ; presently the animal staggers in the hind legs, and at last 
falls to the ground, control over the back parts being completely lost. 

When the urine is examined, it is found to be of a dark chocolate 
color, and an oily or even stringy consistence. This change in the 
urine is a marked characteristic of the disease. As recovery pro- 
gresses, the urine will gradually turn a lighter hue, and resume its 
normal state. 

In connection with this disease, though usually in a modified form 
of it, the muscles around the shoulder joint may also be swollen. 
The muscles of the loins are often found more or less puffed, causing 
a stiffness of movement. This condition readily yields to treatment, 
but the form of the disease in which paral3^sis occurs is quite fatal. 

Treatment. — First draw the water with the greased catheter, as 
shown in the illustration on page 378. This nuist be done three 
times a day until the horse is able to relieve himself. Back rake the 
bowels with the hand, or use the funnel with the soap and water. 
These measures, in a favorable case, will give the animal the imme- 
diate relief so necessary. The next thing will be to reduce the over- 
nourished system, and this can best be accomplished by using purg- 
atives and diuretics, in this way working through the two great ex- 



DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 



375 



cretory systems of the bowels and kidnej^s. Give the Purgative Pill 
No. 18, and allow nothing but bran or linseed mash for feed. Also 
give Powder No. 26 every three hours, on the tongue or in the feed. 
Or, instead, one of the following powders, composed of the latest 
drug, recommended and used very successfully, may be given : 

No. 48. Citrate of lithium, l^^g ounces. 

Divide into twelve parts, and give one every five hours on the 
tongue or in the feed. 

In the beginning of the disease, we believe in allowing the animal 
to lie down, being particular, however, to see that he is turned at 
least twice a day. (When placed in 
the slings at the start, he is likely to 
struggle, and complicate the dis- 
ease.) But as the disease begins to 
wear off, and the strength of the 
hind parts to return, then it will be 
an advantage to use a sling, at the 
same time frequently hand-rubbing 
the legs briskly to restore the slug- 
gish circulation. In some cases we 
have seen the slings used with ben- 
efit from the first. The slings here 
illustrated are somewhat simpler in 
construction than those shown on the slings in position. 

page 232, and are the kind now generally used. 

The application to the muscles of the loins of a soothing lotion, 
such as No. 3, sometimes has a very good effect. 

v. Inflammation of the Bladder, or Cystitis. 

Causes. — This is frequently seen from the common practice of 
giving horses saltpetre, rosin, turpentine, etc., for the water. It may 
also be caused by injuries, calculus or stone, or from the extension of 
disease from an adjoining part. 

Symptoms. — The animal is feverish, and is evidently in great pain ; 
he kicks at the belly, looks at the flanks, and when walking keeps the 
legs apart. The water is passed with abnormal frequency in small 
amounts, and the act is attended with acute pain ; in a bad case blood 
or pus may be mixed v/ith it. To make sure of the diagnosis, the 
hand may l)e passed into the rectum, on the floor of which, near the 




376 THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

edo;e of the pelvic bone, the bladder will be felt ; by pressing at this 
point, the pain evinced will tell its own story. Examine the bladder 
through the rectum, and ascertain if any calculus or other matter is 
present. If so, remove it in the way we shall describe in Section 
VIII, of this chapter. This, of course, requires the skill of a thor- 
ough veterinarian. 

Treatment. — The necessary medication any farmer can attend to 
himself. Give the Purgative Pill No. 18, to draw the fluids off by 
the bowels, so far as possible, and soothing drinks, such as linseed 
tea or oatmeal gruel. To reduce the fever, use the Drench No. 45, 
or any of the fever medicines given in our "Recapitulation of Eem- 
edies." Apply hot cloths to the loins, and if the pain is severe, use 
the Drench No. 33, or No. 34. 

VI. Rupture of the Bladder. 

This occasionally occurs among mares during parturition ; the 
foetus being pressed against the bladder, when full, with such force as 
to cause a rupture. The importance of emptying the bladder before 
starting in to deliver a foal is thus most obvious. Rupture of the 
bladder may supervene also in connection with certain diseases — for 
instance, azoturea — the bladder being unable to force out its con- 
tents. In stallions it may also occur from the canal (urethra) be- 
ing blocked by a stone. 

It is needless to say no treatment can possibly avail. 

VII. Spasm of the Bladder. 

This is a not infrequent accompaniment of colic. The most serious 
trouble, of course, is when the spasm seizes the ne k of the bladder, 
thus preventing urination. An attack of this kind is easily known by 
the animal's attempts to pass water. 

Treatment. — Introduce the greased catheter, as pictured on page 
373. To allay the pains, administer the Colic Drench No. 33. Hot 
cloths on the loins are often helpful. 

VIII. Stone or Gravel (Calculus) in the Bladder. 

This is a somewhat common trouble, in which the salts of the urine 
— principally lime — are deposited around some nucleus, such as a col- 
lection of mucus, or in the mare around a piece of iron, straw, or the 
like, that has been maliciously pushed through the short canal into 
the bladder. A stone, such as is shown in the annexed cut, is slowly 
formed. The salts are deposited in layers ; when a calculus is broken 
in two, it shows the succession of rings exactly as in the illustration. 



DISEASES OF THE KIDNEYS AND BLADDER. 



377 



Symptoms. — The symptoms will vary according to the nature of the 
deposit, which may only be a collection of a certain fine whitish sub- 
stance, or may exist as small gravel, or the larger calculus (stone). 
The last is nearly always round or oval, but occasionally is irregu- 
lar in shape. 

The first thing noticed to be wrong about the horse is his difficulty 
in making water; it comes in small squirts, accompanied with great 
straining. The urine is continually coming away thus, and if the 
animal is forced to w^alk it will be with the legs wide apart. 

The absolute test in determining what ails him is to insert 
the hand in the rectum and feel the bladder, below its flioor. If 
any stone is present, it will be readily felt 
resting on the edge of the bone. (Care 
must be taken not to mistake a pellet of 
dung in the gut below the bladder for a 
stone.) Upon introducing the catheter, a 
peculiar sensation of hardness is felt when 
it strikes the stone; the instrument may 
also be felt to touch the stone by keeping 
the hand in the rectum. This will settle 
the diagnosis conclusively. 

Treatment. — This will naturally consist 
in removing the abnormal deposit, whatever ^^^^^^^ ''' appearance when cut 

~ •■ ' m two, 

it be, from the bladder. Any fine gravel or 

sandy deposits may be got away by passing a catheter up, and through 
it sja'inging luke-warm water into the bladder, in this way "flushing" 
them out. Our recipe No. 47 will aid in their elimination. 

When a stone has formed, its removal will necessitate the opera- 
tion called lithotomy ; and for this a special forceps — to grasp the 
stone — is needed. In the mare this operation is commonly very sim- 
ple. The canal to the bladder is very short and possible of wide 
dilation, allowing the stone to be grasped by tlie forceps and grad- 
ually withdrawn by a rotating motion. 

Lithotomy in the stallion or gelding is generally supposed to be a 
very serious operation; yet it is easily performed if care is taken to 
follow the instructions. The use of chloroform, while not absolutely 
necessary, is of great benefit; the animal being out of pain will not 
struggle, or otherwise increase the difiiculty. The first step is to 
pass the catheter into the bladder (see engraving on page 373), and 




CALCULUS, OR STONE, FROM 
THE BLADDER. 



378 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

make sure of the presence of the stone. The next is to cut down 
onto the catheter at the point whence access to the bhidder is the most 
easily gained. This spot is just bek)W the rectum, where the catheter 
is felt to pass over the edge of the bone, on its way to the bladder. 
At this point a straight cut about one inch long is made, and con- 
tinued inwards by successive cuts, until the catheter is exposed. The 
latter is now withdrawn, and the special forceps, well greased before- 
hand, are passed, with a slow, rotating motion, through the opening 
into the bladder. The forceps once in the bladder, the hand may be 
passed into the rectum and the stone by it guided between their 
blades. To withdraw the stone is a slow process and requires patience ; 
the same rotating motion will be necessary as on the inward passage 
of the forceps. 

Very large stones are not often found, but occasionally one is come 
across that is too large to extract. In such cases it will have to be 
broken by means of a pair of special crushing forceps (or in an 
emergency anything in the form of an ordinary forceps that is cap- 
able of performing this service), and the broken pieces extracted 
separately. 

The after-treatment of the wound wall consist in putting in a 
stitch or two at the top of the skin opening, and allowing the rest of 
the cut to remain open. The urine will prevent the interior wound 
from closing for some time, but by slightly touching the edges 
occasionally with a stick of lunar caustic, it will slowly heal. 

The catheter should be passed in every day or two at iirst, and at 
longer intervals afterwards. This will prevent the formation of a 
stricture, from the contraction or growing together of the parts 
while healing. 



CHAPTEK XXIX. 

DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 



I. INJURY OF THE PENIS. II. BEANS. III. TUMORS. IV, CONTRACTION 

OP THE SHEATH. V. INFLAMMATION OF THE TESTICLE, OR ORCHITIS. 

VI. HYDROCELE, OR DROPSY OF THE TESTICLE. VII. VARICOSE VEINS. 

VIII. CASTRATION. IX. CASTRATION OF THE RIDGLING, OR CRYPTOR- 

CHID. X. THE SEQUELS OF CASTRATION. XI. INDURATED CORD. 

I. Injury of the Penis. 

This is liable to occur from kicks or blows, accidentally or other- 
wise, in consequence of which the organ swells, in this way prevent- 
ing its retraction within the sheath, and it becomes very painful and 
feels hot. These injuries occasion a tendency to 
the collection of a dropsical fluid, whereupon the ^^ 
pain measurably subsides, the swelling becomes^ 
soft to the touch, and often elastic or flaccid; the 
oro;an assumes a reddish brown color, and the horse 
is still unable, from its size, to withdraw it within 
the sheath. 

Treatment. — During the acute stage, the best 
way to reduce the swelling is by bathing with hot swollen penis. 
water for an hour, then do your best to get the or- 
gan back into the sheath, as there it will be subject to a continual pres- 
sure, which will be highly beneficial. If this is found impracticable, 
suspend the organ by a bandage, but still keep up the bathing at reg- 
ular intervals. Sometimes it is necessary to scarify the protruded 
part to aid in its reduction. In chronic cases, those in which the 
dropsy occurs, the swelling can be punctured at the lowest part, and 
the fluid squeezed out. The sheath and penis should always be kept 
as clean as possible. If the organ has become dry, a little oil or 
lard may be rubbed on, before pushing it into its sheath. 

II. Beans. 
This trouble is very common among horses, especially where the 
parts are not washed often enough, and kept properly attended to. 

379 




380 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

What is called a "bean" is a collection of raucous secretion, of 
a firm yet sticky character, in the dilatation of the urethra, at the 
point of the penis. When very large it may interfere with the pas- 
sage of the urine, but may be readily pressed out with the fingers. 

III. Tumors. 

Tumors occasionally form on the extremity of the penis from an 
enlargement of the parts, especially of a few glands at the point of 
the organ. The only remedy when so large to prevent retraction 
into the sheath is amputation. 

To amputate the penis, first pass the catheter in manner as illustrated 
on page 373. Then bandage tightly around, above the point to cut, 
in order to steady the organ and more especially to prevent bloeding. 
Make the cut in an oblique direction ; this gives the stump a pointed 
end, which cannot very well be closed by any swelling that may 
supervene. All vessels should be tied with a piece of silk thread, as 
shown in the cut on page 324, and if any oozing of blood occurs, the 
surface may be touched with a hot iron. In case of swelling, bathe 
with hot or cold water. Keep the bowels open, and let the diet be light. 

IV. Contraction of the Sheath. 

Where this trouble arises it may prevent the penis from being ex- 
tended, or when extended prevent its retraction. 

Causes. — The causes are injuries, kicks, blows, etc. At times it is 
an after-effect of debilitating diseases ; or it may be traceable to want 
of exercise. In all these cases the loose tissues of the sheath become 
filled with fluid, whereby a mechanical obstruction is produced. 

If this condition be allowed to continue, the swelling may stop the 
flow of blood, and the end of the penis and surrounding parts of the 
sheath will then die from lack of nutrition. While writirg Chapter 
XXVII of this book we had a case of this sort in a bull-dog, in 
which it was necessary to amputate a part of the penis and remove 
part of the dead sheath. 

Treatment. — Reduce the swelling by frequent bathing with hot or 
cold water. Should the swelling prove obstinate, let it be freely 
punctured over its entire surface, and pressure used to reduce it in 
size by means of a thread band drawn tightly around the body and 
between the leers. 

When the swelling is so incorrigible as to bring about the death of 
the part, the latter will have to be amputated, and a healthy surface 
secured by appropriate means, as directed elsewhere for wounds. 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 



381 



v. Inflammation of the Testicle, or Orchitis. 

This is rarely seen in the stallion ; when it does occur some injury, 
such as a kick from a mare, is generally to blame for it, though, pos- 
sibly, it may have resulted from a strain. 

Symptoms. — The testicle is swollen, hot and painful. It hangs 
lower than the opposite one, and the covering has a tense, shiny 
look. The pulse is quickened, and the whole system is feverish. 
The legs are kept wide apart in walking, and the steps are short. 
No one need mistake it for a hernia. It differs from that in its symp- 
toms of fever, and in not increasing in size when the animal is forced 
to cough. 

Treatment. — First give the Pill No. 20, and diet carefully. Bathe 
the swelling freely with 
warm water every hour or 
two, and keep the testicle 
supported in some way; 
the kind of supporter here 
illustrated is the best. To 
relieve the pain, give tinc- 
ture of opium in half ounce 
doses every one or two 
hours, as required. Relieve 
the fever, and quiet the 
heart, by means of recipe 
No. 45. This disease is li- 
able to bring on dropsy of 
the testicle, which we will 
consider next. 

VI. Hydrocele, or Dropsy of the Testicle. 

Almost any swelling or strain of the testicles may, under cer- 
tain conditions, result in hydrocele. 

Symptoms. — The dropsy comes on gradually, the fluid first collect- 
ing at the bottom. The sac is soft and appears full, as shown in the 
excellent illustration on next page herewith reproduced from a photo- 
graph. As the fluid collects, the testicles float upward, and will be 
found at the upper back part of the sac. The fluid is of a clear straw 
color, and if a light is held behind the swelling it is seen to be trans- 
lucent. Hydrocele is readily distinguishable from orchitis by the ab- 
sence of pain and fever, and from a scrotal hernia by its translucent 




TESTICLE SUPPORTER. 



382 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



character, and by its not increasing in size when the horse is made to 
couo-h. The farmer need be at no loss in discriminatino- the diseases. 
Treatment — It will be necessary to draw off the fluid that has col- 
lected by mechanical means. This operation is called tapping, and 
the instrument employed is a trocar, with canula, the same as illus- 
trated on page 354. Care must be taken not to plunge the instru- 
ment upward, as the testicle is in that direction. After tapping, a 
sufficient quantity of the following solution may be syringed into the 

sac, and worked around inside by 
manipulating the skin, the surplus 
being then allowed to run out : 

No. 49. Tincture of iodine, 1 ounce. 
Pure water, 3 ounces. 

Mix, and inject a little. 

The above may cause signs of un- 
easiness in the animal, but these 
will soon pass off. 

VII. Varicose Veins. 

Varicose veins — an enlargement 
of the spermatic veins that carry 
the blood from the testicles — are 
of rare occurrence among horses. 
They can readily be distinguished 
by their peculiar worni}^ feeling. 
As they cause no inconvenience, no 
treatment is necessary, and the 
only reason we mention them is to 
relieve the reader from any appre- 
hension in case he should discover this condition in a stallion belonging 

to him. 

VIII. Castration. 

This consists in removins: the two testicles or seeds — the essential 
organs — from the scrotum, or sac, of the male. There is a difference 
of opinion as to the proper age to castrate. Some farmers do it at 
the same age as they do calves, or about the fourth or tiftli month. 
But this is a mistake; the proper age is from one to two years old. 
When the colt is poorly developed, he should be allowed to run until 
the beginning of his third year, though there is no difficulty in per- 
forming the operation at any age. 




DROPSY OF THE TESTICLE (HYDROCELE) 

EngraTed for this Work from a Photograph. 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 



383 



As to the best time of year, this is in early summer, when fresh 
grass is available, and before the fly season has commenced. Good, 
clear and settled warm weather is essential. Eapid changes of tem- 
peratm-e, thunder-storms, etc., are indications against operatmg, such 
as no careful owner will disregard. 

The colt should be in good but not high condition. It is always 




COLT THKOWN FOR CASTRATION. 



well (though not considered essential) to prepare him for the oper- 
ation by opening the bowels by means of a laxative diet. In case any 
epidemic disease is prevalent in the vicinity, it will be best to post- 
pone the cutting, as the wound is likely to become infected. 

Before commencing, the operator should examine the sac, and see 
that no scrotal hernia is present. If there is such, it will appear as a 
doughy swelling of the scrotum, that increases in size whenever the 
colt is made to cough. 

The Standing Operation. — Castration may be performed with the 
animal either standing or lying down, and as each method has its 
advocates, we will consider both. For the standing operation, if the 
animal is very irritable, some soothing drug may be given ten minutes 
before commencing. Tincture of opium or chloral hydrate, in half 
ounce doses, in a little water, will, either of them, serve this purpose, 



384 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




CASTRATING KNIFE. 



In the actual operation the animal is usually approached from the 
left side. The scrotum is cut through with the castrating knife (in 
manner as will presently be described), or a pair of scissors may be 
used, and have the advantage of being quicker handled, with less 

danger of injuring the testi- 
cle, which would cause great 
and needless pain. After 
severing the scrotum, the 
operation is finished with the 
clamps, ecraseur, or ligature 
— whichever may be pre- 
ferred — as we will explain 
shortly. 

Lying Down. — To castrate 
with the animal lying down, 
one of the various methods of casting will have to be chosen. For 
young animals the side lines, as shown in the illustration, are a favor- 
ite means, but the hobbles, and the straps of the Rarey method are 
also used. After the colt has been cast, the scrotum, or sac, and the 
sheath, should be washed W'ith luke-warm water and castile soap. 
Then the testicle — one at a time — is grasped between the thumb and 
first finger of the left hand, with the skin tight and smooth, and with 

the castrating knife held in 
the right hand, a cut from 
three to four inches long is 
made close to the middle 
line of the sac, which is 
known by the small ridge 
downr the centre. When the 
cut is made in this place, it 
allows of good drainage of 
the matter that will form. 
The operator should be very 
careful not to cut the testi- 
cle, thus causing unnecessary 
The actual extirpation of the seed, which has yet to be 
accomplished, may be done with the clamps, actual cautery, ligature, 
scraping, or by the ecraseur. It will be best to consider these 
methods separately. 




SIDE LINES FOK CASTING A COLT. 



suffering 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 



385 




WOODEN CLAMPS. 



Clamps.~-The use of-claiiips is the old-fashioned way, and though 
now almost abandoned by educated veterinarians, it is still very exten- 
sively practiced in the farming districts. We show the best form of a 
wooden clamp in the annexed cut. The testicle having been exposed, 
the clamps are placed on the 
cord that hold them in position, 
and the ends of the sticks 
tightly tied with strong twine. 
See that the clamp is placed so 
as to remove the small lump of 
vessels along the top of the 
seed, as shown in the next il- 
lustration. The seed may either 
be allowed to slough off, or it 
may be cut off with a knife. 

Actual Cautery. — In this method the clamps are used as already 
described (their position, when tied is shown in the illustration), but 
the cord, instead of being left to 
slough away, is burned off with a 
hot iron. This stops bleeding. 

The Ligature. — A long, stout 
piece of twine is tied around the 
cord at the same point as that at 
which the clamps are applied, as 
shown above. Then the testicle is 
cut or burned off, and the long 
ends of the twine are allowed to 
remain until the slough removes them. 

Scraping. — This consists in gradually scraping through the cord 
with a blunt knife. This is a very good method when the work is 
properly done. 

The Ecraseur. — This is the simple instrument used by most veter- 
inarians at the present time for effecting castration, which it does by 
gradually crushing off the vessels and cords. By this method there 
is hardly ever any bleeding, and after-complications are rare indeed. 
We show the latest and best form of the ecraseur in the illustration. 
By slowly turning the handle, the steel chain is gradually tightened, 
25 




CLAMP ON THE TESTICLE. 



386 



THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



the vessels are crushed and torn apart, the ragged ends which thus 



result being unfavorable to hemorrhage. 




THE ECRASEUR. 




RUSSIAN METHOD OF CASTING. 



Torsion. — This is a method largely used in France. The cord is 
held by a strong steel clamp, and the seed is seized by a pair of 
forceps and twisted off. 

Russian Method. — In Russia, a common practice is to cut the vas 

deferens (see engraving 
on page 189), the duct 
leadino- from the testi- 
tide. This renders pro- 
creation impossible, but 
leaves the seed intact. In 
time the latter will grow 
somewhat smaller. This 
method must be held as 
crude and unsatisfactory. 

IX. Castration of the Ridgling, or Cryptorchid. 

Occasionally a horse is found in which one or both testicles have 
not descended into the scrotum. Such an aninud is known in many 
sections of the West and South as a ridgling, and in the books as a 
cryptorchid (literally, concealed or hidden testicle). Often, at one 
year old, one testicle will not have descended, yet it will do so during 
the second year. 

In the most of ridglings the missing testicle, or occasionally both 
testicles, are somewhere in the canal nuu'ked C, in the next illustra- 
tion, though sometimes remaining still higher up in the abdominal 
cavity, as shown at B, internal to the ring D. To castrate a ridgling 
requires consideral)le expertness, based, of course, on a good knowl- 
edge of the anatomy of the parts. Many operators in the country 
will not undertake it at all; but there is no great difticulty, when one 
knows how, provided the seed has passed out of the al)domen. 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE. 387 

The colt may be cast with the hobbles or side lines, as for the 
ordinary castration. The' best position to get him into is on the 
back, as shown in the excellent engraving herewith presented. 

If one testicle is down, first remove it in the regular way already 
described ; then open the empty sac on the other side, pass the fingers 
inward and to the outer side, when the opening of the canal C will be 
felt. At this point the finger may be passed into the canal, and very 
frequently the seed may be reached, drawn out, and removed by the 
ordinary method. But if it cannot be reached, the canal will have to 




THE RIDGLING CAST ON HIS BACK. 
Showing the position of the testicle, or seed. 



B — The testicle. 



C — The canal. 



D — The ring:. 



be laid open with a knife, and the testicle grasped and removed the 
same as before. 

When the testicle is still in the belly, its removal is generally very 
difficult, and the results frequently fatal. The canal having been 
opened, the fingers are formed into a cone and used to dilate the ring 
D, after which the fingers, or if necessary the whole hand, is passed 
into the cavity, the location of the seed, in the plurality of cases, 
being just in front of, and a little above, the ring D. The position 



388 THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

is plainly indicated in the illustration at B. The seed may be grad- 
ually drawn through the ring and cut off by the ecraseur, which is 
the best way; or the clamps or ligature may be used, in manner as 
directed in the last section. A few stitches may afterwards be 
placed in the skin to guard against a hernia, which is always one of 
the greatest dangers ni these cases. 

X. The Sequels of Castration. 

These, in unfavorable cases, may be hemorrhage, swelling of the 
sheath, hernia, indurated cord (or champignon), tetanus or periton- 
itis. Some of these, of course, are much more serious than others. 
We will consider them separately. 

Hemorrhage. — This is readily stopped by bathing or showering the 
sac with cold water. This is mostly seen following the scraping 
method, and if it continues, the blood-vessel will need to be tied with 
a silk thread. 

Swelling of the Sheath. — This is seen often ; the sheath hangs 
pendulous, and has a shining look. Bathe it well with hot water. 
Open the bowels with the pill No. 20, and allow gentle exercise. 
If the opening has closed, break the adhesions with the finger. It 
may be necessary to lance the sheath in a number of different 
places. 

Hernia. — This has already been considered under a special head- 
ing, at the close of Chapter XXVI. 

Tetanus. — Tetanus does not often appear until after recovery has 
taken place, or say four to five weeks after the operation. Ee-open 
the sac at once, and remove the end of the cord, if Avithin reach. 
Apply soothing ointments to the cord, such as the belladonna oint- 
ment, and in general adopt the same treatment as will be laid down 
for lockjaw in a later chapter. 

Peritonitis. — Peritonitis may appear within a few hours after the 
operation, or at any time within two or three weeks. The symptoms 
are similar to colic, — the pulse hard and wiry, the belly tender to the 
touch, and the temperature elevated. 

Treatment will consist in bathing the wound with Avarm Avatcr, ap- 
plying hot cloths to the belly, and the other general treatment for 
colic. 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MALE.. 389 

XI. Indurated Cord. 

This, in the books, is also described under the names champignon, 
schirrus cord, and sarcocele. It oftener follows castration by use of 
the clamps or the ligature, than the other methods. The opening in 
the scrotum fails to close, a slight swelling is seen, the end of the 
cord is enlarged, and sometimes will be found to have grown to the 
side of the sac. In the latter case break the cord loose, and remove 
the enlarged end with the clamps, or, still better, with the ecraseur. 
See that the opening in the sac is amply large to allow the free exit 
of the matter that forms. 



CHAPTER XXX. 
DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 



I. KUPTUKE OF THE PERINEUM. II. LEUCORRHfEA, OR THE WHITES.- III, 

INFLAMMATION OF THE WOMB, OR METRITIS. IV. ABORTION. V. THE 

SEVP:N PERIODS OF GESTATION. VI. HEMORRHAGE, OR FLOODING OF THE 

WOMB. ^Vll. FALSE LABOR PAINS. VIII. FALLING OF THE WOMB. 

IX. NYMPHOMANIA. X. SPAYING, OR CASTRATION OP THE MARE. -XI. 

EQUINE SYPHILIS. Xir. INFLAMMATION OF THE UDDER, OR MAMMITIS. 

I. Rupture of the Perineum. 

This is occasionally seen among mares, from accidents in foaling 
or during copulation. It consists in a rupture of the skin and other 
tissues between the vulva and the rectum, making a common external 
opening for the digestive and urinarj^ systems. 

Treatment. — The tearing of the parts is so severe, and the passage 
of dung and urine so constant, that repair by sewing is almost im- 
possible, and if sewing is attempted, it should be done only by an ex- 
perienced man. After a time man}' of these animals will snfficienth' 
recover to do ordinary work in the countrj-, ))ut they will ncNer l)e 
able to stand driving on the crowded, hard-paved streets of a city. 
Mares thus injured liave, in a number of recorded cases, produced 
healthy foals, but they are liable to receive serious injury when being- 
served. 

II. LeueorrhoDa, or the Whites. 

The discharge which gives name to this disease is the product of 
mflamraation of the vagina (see 3, in the illustration on page 399.) 
It is given off at frequent intervals, often in large quantities, and is a 
whitish fluid, in sohie cases quite fetitl. When this condition con- 
tinues for any considerable length of time, the animal falls off in con- 
dition, sweats ver}^ easily, and becomes unfit for work. She may be- 
come pregnant, but will very seldom carry the tVvtus the full time, 
abortion being extremely likely to occur. 

Treatment. — First thoroughly syringe out the vagina with luke- 
warm water two or three times a d;iy, then inject the L(>ti(m No. 1, 

390 



DISEASES, ETC., rECULlAR TO THE ■SIATJE. 81)1 

or No. 12. If the discharge continues, substitute the lotion fol- 
lowing: 

No. 50. Sulphate of zinc, 1 ounce. 

Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 

Use after the syringing directed above. 

The Speculum. — In this, as in various other troubles of the mare, 
the vaginal speculum, shown in the accompanying cut, is of great ad- 
vantage; the inflamed portions of the vagina will be seen, and can 
very readily be painted with the tincture of iodine every second day, 
or with a weak solution of caustic silver. As, however, this instru- 




ROUND VAGINAL SPECULUM. 

ment is not in general use, the treatment first mentioned will most 
generally be called for. The suggestion ma}', perhaps, be of service 
to some of our intelligent and thoughtful readers, that any round 
cylinder (even of tin, etc.,) so fashioned as not to bruise the delicate 
membrane, could be used instead of the practitioner's speculum. 

The general health will need to be improved by good, nutritious 
food, and the use of the Tonic Powders No. 19 in the feed. 

III. Inflammation of the Womb, or Metritis. 

This may follow either an easy or difficult parturition, or an abor- 
tion, or may result from a hard drive before foaling, or from 
slipping. 

Symptoms. — The mare is first noticed not to eat; the pulse is quick- 
ened, and a high fever may set in. Uneasiness, and looking round at 
the flanks, arching of the back, with violent straining, are all seen pre- 
cisely as shown in the next illustration, "Advancing Sj'mptoms of 
Abortion," and a black, bloody discharge may be forced through the 
vulva. On pressing over the loins, the mare will flinch and groan. 
These S3anptoms, put into connection with the antececk^'nt of a heavy 
drive, or some injury, will effectually determine for the farmer what 
the trouble is. 



392 TIIK AMERICAN FARMEE'S HORSE BOOK. 

Treatment. — Reduce the fever with No. 45, or any of the fever 
mixtures given in the "Recapitulation of Remedies." If the pain is 
very severe, give half ounce doses of tincture of opium every hour. 

Syringe out the womb with luke-warm water, and afterwards with 
No. 1, or No. 12. Place hot blankets, or poultices, over the loins, 
being careful to change them as fast as they cool. In spite of the 
best attention, this ailment, when the mare is with foal, is extremely 
likely to result in abortion. 

IV. Abortion. 

An abortion is said to take place when the foetus is expelled before 
its organs are suiliciently developed to carry on the vital functions. 
It will be both scientific and practically convenient to consider abor- 
tion under two different heads, namely, (1) sporadic, or accidental, 
and (2) enzootic, or contagious. The former variety occurs as a 
few scattered cases, here and there, from anumber of different causes 
that can generall}^ be pointed out; the latter when large numbers of 
different animals on a farm or in a given district are affected, evidently 
from the same cause, which is generally difficult to locate. 

Causes. — Sporadic abortion is due to a great variety of very differ- 
ent circumstances, which can barely be enumerated here, such as 
changes of the weather; sudden chills; all sorts of indigestible 
foods, particularly those which are excessively dry and innutritious, 
or which have been frozen, or become musty; certain plants, such 
as ergotized grain (rj^e) and grasses, rue, horse tail, beet root 
leaves; purgatives; excessive muscular exertion; injuries, blows, or 
kicks in the abdomen ; excitement; various serious internal diseases 
as lung fever, asthma, inflamed bowels, womb, etc. Certain odors 
are likewise said to cause abortion, as also debility of the stallion 
from excessive service. Again, when the latter is disproportionately 
large and poAverful, the mare, as many think, is prone to abort. 

The contagious form of abortion is of a very serious nature. It is 
very difficult to get rid of, in the sense that a mare with foal, if brought 
into a shed or stable where it was rife long before, is liable to it. 
Some veterinarians scout the contagious theory of this disease, but it is 
nevertheless generally accepted by the veterinarians .of the present day, 
because it accords better than any other theory with the observed 
facts when generalized. The fact of one animal aborting being fol- 
lowed by several others in the same stable — animals not in close 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 



393 



proximity — points strongly in this direction, and especially if tlie first 
abortion lias occurred in a mare newly introduced there. In favor of 
the contagious hypothesis are a great numl)er of other reasons, some 
of them as strong as this one, which space will not permit us here to 
discuss. In regard to the contagious form of abortion spreading 
through a stable, a familiar fact already mentioned, it should be 
added that though about all the mares in the stable may abort, they 
will not do this all at once, but one will follow the other at intervals 
of perhaps a week or ten dsijs. 

Symptoms. — The great majority of abortions come on at night, 
the animal having shown no signs of the approaching trouble : often 
she appears bright and hearty 
both before and after the acci- 
dent. Abortion may take place 
at any period of gestation. In 
the accidental form it generally 
occurs during the first four periods 
(to be described in the next sec- 
tion), but in the contagious form 
usually from the fourth to the 
seventh month. 

In some cases certain premon- 
itory signs are seen that are fre- 
quently mistaken for indigestion, - 
pawing, and a persistent switching of the tail. These are succeeded 
in a variable time by violent straining and other well known symptoms 
of parturition. Happily, abortion in the mare is only occasionally 
followed by any very serious trouble. 

Treatment. — When the food is the suspected cause, change it to an 
easily digested, laxative diet; when impure water, substitute the very 
best and cleanest that can be procured. When abortion assumes the 
contagious form, remove the animal that has aborted, and place her in 
a separate stable with a special attendant. Wash out the stall, and 
flush the drains, with some strong disinfectant solution. Our No. 73, 
or No. 74, will, either of them, be efficient. 

When the mare is first observed to be uneasy, with other suspicious 
symptoms, ascertain if the foetus is alive, and if so give small closes 
of some narcotic, as tincture of opium — say a half ounce every hour — 
while the signs persist. Keep the animal in some quiet, well ventilated 




ADVANCING SYMPTOMS OF ABORTION. 



-loss of appetite, laziness, fev^er, 



394 THK AMERICAN FARMER'.S IIORSE P.OOK. 

place for two or three days. If the case goes on, however, until the 
water-])ag has ruptured, the treatment must be changed immediately ; 
there is nothing now to do except to aid the expulsion of the fa-tu.s. 
Of course, the feverish symptoms that follow should be appropriated" 
treated. 

A mare that has once aborted should not be put to the stallion 
again for at least one year ; in fact, the best plan will be to allow two 
full seasons to pass before so doing. 

V. The Seven Periods of Gestation. 

The question of the age of the foetus is often an interesting or even 
important one to decide, in cases such as we have been coni»idering. 
We, therefore, insert a succinct account of the seven periods of ges- 
tation, as they are given in the very valuable work of Fleming. The 
following abstract gives all the known information on this subject. 

"First Period. — Towards the second week after conception, tho 
ovum, or germ, has passed from the ovary into the uterus; it is then 
about one-twelfth of an inch in diameter. 

'"Second Period. — In the third and fourth weeks of gestation in 
the mare, cow and pig, there appear the first traces of the em- 
bryo, and the head, body and limbs can be distinguished. Towards 
the 28th day the embryo of the mare measures about six lines 
(J inch), and that of the cow 4 lines (J inch) ; that of the sheep at 
25 days is 4^ lines, and of the bitch at 18 days is two lines ( I inch). 

"Third Period. — This is from the fifth to eighth week VN'ith the 
mare and cow; the fifth to the seventh with the sheep and goat; and 
the fourth to the sixth with the pig. The embryo of the mare has 
now ac(|uired a length of rather more than 2 inches; that of the cow 
12 inches, of the sheep and goat l] inches, of the pig I'i inches, and 
of the bitch one inch. 

"Fourth Period. — This is from the ninth to the thirteenth week 
with the mare; the ninth to the twc^lfth with the cow; the seventh to 
the eighth and ninth with the sheep and goat; and the sixth to the 
eighth with the pig. The length of the f(vtus of the mare is (5 inches, 
of the cow 5^ inches, of the small ruminants 3-4 inches, of the [)ig 
3 inches, of the dog 2.} inches. 

"Fifth Period. — This extends from the fourteenth to the twenty- 
second week with the mare, the thirteenth to the twentieth with the 
cow; the tenth to the thirteenth in the sheep and goat: and the 
eighth to the tenth in the jtig. At this singe thi^ fu'tus of the mare 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE, 395 

is about 13 inches long; that of the cow is 12 inches long, of the 
sheep and goat 6 inches, of the pig 5 inches, and of the bitch 3 J inches. 

"Sixth Period. — From the twenty-third to the thirty-fourth week 
in the mare, the twenty-Hrst to the thirty-second in the cow, the 
thirteenth to the eighteenth in the sheep and goat, and the eleventh 
to the fifteenth in the pig. The fo?tus of the mare by the end of 
this period has acquired a length of more than 2 feet, and that of the 
cow nearly the same ; the foetus of the sheep is more than a foot; 
that of the pig is about 7 inches, and of the bitch 5 inches. 

"Seventh Period. — This covers the remaining interval up to par- 
turition ; that is, the thirty-fifth to the forty-eighth week in the 
mare, the thirtj'-third to the fortieth week in the cow, the nineteenth 
to the twenty-first in the sheep and goat, the fifteenth to the seven- 
teenth in the pig, the ninth week in the bitch, and the eighth week 
in the cat. 

"A newlj^born foal measures, on an average, about 3 J feet long, a 
calf 2 feet, a lamb 1^ feet, a pig 9 or 10 inches, a puppy 6 to 8 inches, 
a kitten about five inches long." 

VI. Hemorrhage, or Flooding, of the Womb. 

This is of rare occurrence among animals, compared with the human 
species. It is generally the sequel of difficult parturition, abortion, or 
retention of the membranes, the womb or its blood-vessels failino- to 
contract. 

Symptoms. — These are not always clearly manifested. In many 
cases the bleeding is internal, while in others dark colored blood and 
clots are expelled, making the diagnosis quite easy. Where there 
are other sjaiiptoms suggestive that the case in hand may be one of 
internal and concealed hemorrhage, the uterus (womb) should be ex- 
plored by the hand. 

In consequence of the loss of blood, the heart becomes weak in its 
action, and beats irregularly. This condition is easily recognized by 
the quick and small, or in a bad case even imperceptible, pulse. The 
different visible membranes (the eye, nose, and vulva) have a blanched 
appearance, instead of the delicate rose color of health. Weakness 
and staggering come on, cold sweat breaks out all over the body, the 
ears and legs grow very cold, and finally comes on the most common of 
the fatal endings of horse diseases, — haggard expression of counte- 
nance, convulsions, and deafh. 



396 



THE AMERICAN FARMEE S HORSE BOOK. 



Treatment. — Stop the flooding as quick as possible. To accomplish 
this, apply cold blankets to the loins. If there is much apparent 
weakness, give large doses of brandy. The following prescription 
will be of great service in checking the flooding : 

No. 51. Acetate of lead, 1 ounce. . 

Tincture of opium, 5 ounces. 
Water, to make 1 pint. 
Mix. 

Give a wineglassful, in a half pint of water, every hour, as needed. 

A day or two after the flooding has been checked, the womb may 
need to be syringed out to remove the clotted, and by this time de- 
composing, blood. 

VII. False Labor Pains. 

These are pains that come on after foaling, the animal straining 
and looking around at the flanks, in the same manner as during ac- 
tual parturition. Often they are due to the retention of the mem- 
branes, or from injury of 



the walls of the womb or 
vagina. The speculum, 
such as is here illustrated, 
or the simpler form shown 
on page 391, is the in- 
strument a professional 
veterinarian will use, in 
such a case, to detect the 
cause. 
Treatment. — Examine the uterus (with the speculum, or else the 
hand), and if anjMiiembrane is found to have been retained, gently 
remove it. Apply hot cloths to the loins, and give the Cramp 
Colic Drench No. 33. 

VIII. Falling of the Womb. 

This accident, also known as inversion of the uterus, is not so fre- 
quent in the mare as in the cow. On the other hand, the fatality 
among horses, when it does occur, is estimated at about seventy-five 
per cent., while among cows, it is only about five per cent., a differ- 
ence truly surprising. 

Causes. — This trouble is usually seen after parturition, and it is as 
common after an easy as it is after a difficult labor. Weakness, de- 




VAGINAL SPECULUM. 



DISEASES, Etc., PECULIAE TO THE MARE. 397 

bility of the sj'^steiii generally, is sup[)osed to be the superinducing 
cause; or, at other times, a slackness of the ligaments that hold the 
womb in position; violent pulling at some retained membranes; non- 
contraction of the womb after foaling ; or any one of a host of other 
accidents of a similar nature. 

Symptoms. — The womb may not be visible externally at first, but 
can be felt as a soft mass in the vagina. This soft nuiss is often mis- 
taken for retained membranes, and the injury complicated by violent 
efforts to extract it. In consequence of straining, and the backward 
pressure of the bowels, it will not be many hours, however, before 
the appearance of the womb externally. Sometimes it shows as a 
small round bulging between the vulva; at other times, much larger, 
even to an immense protrusion that reaches as low as the hock. This 
is liable to become covered with dirt by lying down, or to be torn by 
being stepped on, or even eaten by cats, rats or dogs. Unless help 
is given, the mass soon begins to smell, the circulation stops, and 
eventually gangrene occurs — that is the death of the protruded parts 
first, and later of the sufferer herself. Fever, pain and quickened 
pulse and breathing all appear soon after the complete falling of the 
womb, together indicating a serious condition. 

Treatment. — Obviously this consists in adopting measures to return 
the organ to its place, and retain it there. If the womb has pro- 
truded no further than the lips of the vulva, the return may be ef- 
fected by pressing it back with the closed fist. Several wraps of a 
rope around the body will aid in preventing straining. In case the 
latter is severe it must be controlled by medication ; give a half ounce 
of either tincture of opium or chloral hydrate, dissolved in water, 
and repeat this dose as required by the urgency of the symptoms. 
The most effectual way of reducing straining, however, is by admin- 
istering chlorofoi'm, according to the rules given in Chapter XXXIX. 
The hind quarters should be kept higher than the fore, to diminish 
the pressure of the bowels upon the womb. 

When the womb is hanging far out, covered with dirt, and swollen, 
it should be supported on a clean sheet ; all dirt carefully sponged off, 
and the swelling reduced by the use of ice-cold water, used either as 
a spray, or else held in a bucket, and the whole mass be placed in it 
for ten or fifteen minutes. The expedients already enumerated for 
controllino; the strainino; should be tried. If the animal is too weak 
to stand, some stimulant should be given, as the standing position is 



;^'jy THE AMEKICAN FAIliMEK S HOUSE BOOK, 

the best; if still unable to stand, the hips must be elevated with bun- 
dles of straw or soft ha}', and the bedding taken from under the belly. 

To return the protrusion, have it on a level with the lips of the 
vulva, and then commence to press the innermost part in. It is a tedi- 
ous process, requiring both time and patience, but it must be perse- 
vered in. 

During straining, the part already returned nuist be held firndy in 
position Avith the list, and the replacing recommenced only when the 
straining disappears. When the entire organ is replaced in the 
vagina, the fist may be applied to the centre of the mass, to press it 
in further; or, when this point is reached, the organ may perhaps 
complete the work of replacement itself. The return having been 
effected, the hand should be inserted, and all the folds that can be 
felt in the uterus be smoothed out, as otherwise they will be likely to 
cause more straining. 

The after-treatment will consist in allowing quiet and rest for two 
weeks or more, and keeping the hind parts elevated for several days. 

IX. Nymphomania. 

This is a condition in which the mare is continually in season. She 
will take the stallion evejy day or two, if permitted, yet does not be- 
come pregnant. Congestion of the ovaries, or of the clitoris, is com- 
monly the exciting cause. When the trouble is of long standing, the 
mare not unfrequently becomes dangerously wicked, the continual 
discharge is disgusting, and, take it altogether, she is Avell nigh 
useless. 

Treatment. — The treatment usually laid down in the books is to 
excise the clitoris, or, if the ovaries are believed to be the seat of the 
congestion, to spay in numner as directed in the next section. 

Our advice is that before proceeding to either course, the follow- 
ing drench be tried for several days, as in some cases the trouble is 
susceptible of removal by medication. 

No. 52. Bromide of potash, 3 ounces. 

Pure water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Give a wineglassful three or four times a day. 

X. Spaying, or the Castration of the Mare. 
Spaying consists in removing the essential organs of generation, — 
the ovaries. It is the counterpart of castration in the stallion. When 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 



399 



the mare is spayed, the object, generally, is to cure nymphomania, 
or some other disease peculiar to her sex. The effect of this oper- 
ation upon a ferocious animal is often very marked; she soon be- 
comes docile and easily managed. In case of the cow, if the oper- 
ation is performed after the third or fourth calf (the best time ), both 
the quantity and quality of the milk is improved, and the tlow Avill 
continue thus from eighteen to twenty-four months. Besides this, 
she will then readily lay on a great deal of fat; as beef, her flesh is 
tender and juicy, and she will bring considerably more money when 

I I 








-S5^r<C?5 



THE POSITION OF THE ORGANS OF THE MARE. 



1 — Uterus. 

2— Horn of uterus. 

3 — Vagina. 

4 — Bladder. 



5 — Rectum. 

7, 8— Vulva. 
9 — Ovary. 
11 — Kidney. 



sold to the butcher. Of course, she can never produce any more 
calves. 

There are two methods of operating in spaying, (1) through the 
flank, and (2) through the vagina. The former method requires only a 
knife and an ecraseur (see cut on page 386), or a knife and a silk 
thread for a ligature, and is the easier one, particularlj^ so for the 
inexperienced operatoi\ The animal is most easily worked on when 
she is in the standing position, with the feet hobbled, the head held 
by a twitch, and the body pressed against the wall. The left is the 



400 



THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



flank usually chosen. A vertical incision in the upper part of this 
region is made, sufficiently long to admit the 
hand, which is passed in and upwards ; the 
horn of the uterus will be felt just below the 
rectum, as shovvu in the engraving, and, at 
the extremity of the horn, the egg-shaped 
ovary. The ovary is drawn out of the opening 
and removed with the escraseur, or by using a 
silk lio-ature and cutting it off with the scis- 
sors. Thus the left ovary is extirpated. The 
rio-ht is next to be felt for at the other horn 
of the uterus, and drawn out and removed in 
the same way. 

Spaying through the vagina requires special 
instruments ; the principal are a concealed 
knife, the torsion forceps shown beloAV, or 
the ecraseur, or ligature. It being too diffi- 
cult an operation for any one not an expert, 
our description of it will purposely be con- 
densed. The place where the opening is made 
is the vagina, at a point just behind the neck 
of the womb, at the top of the cavity. The 
opening needs to be about two and one-half 
inches long, and parallel with the cavity. 
Through it the finger is passed, and the ovary, 
when secured, is drawn into the opening and 
twisted, off with the forceps (see illustration), 
or crushed off with the ecraseur, or cut off 
with the knife and the vessels ligatured. This 
process is then repeated on the opposite side. 
There are other instruments for dilating the 
vagina, and for guiding to the place to cut, 
that we have not described; they are very 
costl}^, and of no use to the average horse 

owner. 

XI. Equine Syphilis. 

The French name of this disease is maladie 
du coif. It is also known as contagious 
eczema, epizootic chancre, etc. It is a pecu- 
liar contagious disease affecting the stallion 
and mare, the cause of which is still in doubt ; but it has many symp- 



TORSION FORCEPS. 

Showing manner of hoklin 
and usinir tlieni. 



DISEASES, ETC., PECULIAR TO THE MARE. 401 

toms that closely resemble those of syphilis in the human species. It 
has a specific well-identified histoiy. First found, or at least first 
reported of, in Russia, in 1796, it has since spread to Germany, France 
and other continental countries, and Africa, Egypt, etc. Though 
not 3^et known to have invaded Great Britain, Spain or Belgium, it 
was unfortunately introduced into America, through the importation 
of diseased French stallions to Illinois. 

Symptoms. — The sjaiiptoms are both local and general. The gen- 
eral symptoms are the same for both sexes. The various mucous 
membranes are specially involved, the nose and eyes both discharge, 
and the glands around the jaw are enlarged. The appetite is good, 
yet the animal falls off in condition, becomes hide-bound and weak, 
and the sweat possesses a very offensive odor. A little later the 
limbs and joints swell, and lameness makes movement difiicult ; but 
this trouble may be intermittent. The back also shows weakness, 
and if pressed on forcibly the animal may fall. Small tumors or 
lumps appear suddenlj^ in the skin ; these may disappear quickly and 
suddenly, or last for a week or ten days. The last stage of the dis- 
ease is usually characterized by paralysis of the limbs, and perhaps 
the lips may also be affected. 

The local sj'mptoms, in the mare, are first seen shortly after copu- 
lation; they consist of irritation and stamping, and if the membrane 
of the vagina is examined, it appears red and inflamed. This is fol- 
lowed by the discharge of a thick, vile-smelling fluid. Later the lips 
of the vulva, the surrounding parts and the milk glands will become 
swollen; the membrane of the vagina will be swollen, and show small 
excoriations and ulcers, its color, at the same time, being a peculiar 
marbled one; and the water will be passed with difiiculty and evident 
pain. The mare very frequently aborts about the third month, or if 
the foal is carried the full time, it is generally born dead. 

In the stallion, the only observable local sign may be a continual 
swelling of the sheath, persisting for months or even a year. When 
the penis is in a state of erection, the point may be greatly enlarged, 
and while the organ is naturally colorless, or nearly so, it will now 
show a marbled color, or have small violet spots scattered over the 
surface. In some cases the testicles show no signs of disease, but in 
others they are swollen and painful to the touch. 

26 



402 The American faemer s horse book. 

Treatment. — The treatment with mercury, so very successful in the 
physician's practice, has no effect on this equine disease. In fact it is 
said, by eminent authorities, even to hasten a fatal termination. 
Frencli scientists are said to have found that certain constituents of 
the blood — those composing the fibrin — are wanting, and these they 
have therefore supplied, by cooking horseflesh and dividing it up very 
fine, and giving about half a pound in the soup that it was boiled in, 
three times a day. Great success is claimed for this treatment; but 
it requires to be continued for an average time of about three months, 
and in some cases as long as six months. 

The local treatment will consist in injecting the vagina of the mare, 
and bathing the penis of the stallion, with a solution of sulphate of 
zinc, one drachm to a pint of water. 

The stallion or mare thus affected should not be used for breeding 
purposes for a number of years. In fact, some authorities insist that 
they should never be used again. 

XII. Inflammation of the Udder, or Mammitis. 

Inflammation of the milk glands, or udder, is not nearly as common 
in the mare as in the c()^v. It is most common very soon after foal- 
ing ; but ma}^ also attack mares in high condition at almost an}^ time. 
It is also seen, occasionally, as a result of blows or other injuries. 

The entire gland is rarely involved, but usually only one part, or 
section, which becomes tense and painful, and has a glossy look. In 
a severe case the mare will be very feverish, and when walking will 
keep the legs straddled wide apart. 

Treatment. — The gland should be bathed frecjuently with hot 

Avater; or, instead, hot flax-seed poultices may be frequently applied. 

Rub in the following liniment three times a day: 

No. 53. Extiact of belladonna, j^ ounce. 

Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

It will always be well to try and support the swollen udder by some 
sort of a suspensory bandage, which may easily be done by passing- 
it over the loins. The milk should be drawn fre(]uently, the teat 
syphon being used, if necessary, to effect this. For the fever give 
any of the fever mixtures recommended and prescribed in our ''Ke- 
capitulation of Eemedics." 

If an abscess foi-ins it must be lanced, and the matter allowed 1o 
discharge; after that, adopt the ordinary treatment for wounds. 



CHAPTEE XXXI. 
PARTXJRITIOJSr. 



I. NATURAL PARTrRlTION. II. DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS. III. ATTEN- 
TION TO THE MOTHEK. IV. ATTENTION TO THE FOAL. V. DIFFICULT 

PARTURITIONS IN THE MARE AND COW COMPARED. VI. DIFFICULTIES 

DUE TO THE MOTHER. VII. DIFFICULTIES DUE TO THE FOAL. — —VIII. 

OBSTETRIC INSTRUMENTS. IX. WHEN THE FOAL IS BORN DEAD, OR THE 

AFTER-BIRTH RETAINED. 

I. Natural Parturition. 

This branch of our subject needs but little consideration, the vari- 
ous phases of labor being so well known to all breeders. However, 
a brief outline of the different stages of labor will not be out of place. 

Preliminary Stage. — This is announced by several well marked 
features., The milk glands of the mare, which are naturally small, 
become large, tense and painful; in many instances the swelling ex- 
tends to the thighs up to the vulva, and along the belly to the breast 
bone. The vulva becomes enlarged, soft, and its inner lining of a 
bright red color. There is also a discharge of sticky mucus which 
lubricates the passage, and when ni large quantity soils the hock and 
tail. The abdomen sinks near the critical period, giving the croup a 
sunken appearance. 

Fleming, in his justly celebrated work on veterinary obstetrics, says : 
"As parturition draws nearer, these phenomena are more marked. 
The animal also begins to be restless, and continually agitated ; if 
feeding, it stops for some moments, as if listening to some sound 
only audible to itself, or, as if experiencing some strange internal sen- 
sation for the first time, and which may be the commencing or pre- 
paratory contractions of the uterus. Not unfrequentlj'' the animal 
lies down and gets up again, as if suffering from colic. Some are 
quite mute, though anxious and uneasy; while others, in addition to 
exhibiting restlessness and distress, utter a half stifled cry of pain, 
and violently whisk the tail." 

The position taken during labor in the mare and cow is usually the 
standing one, but the recumbent position, here illustrated, is not in- 

403 



404 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



frequent ; the mare, resting on the breast bone, strains and raises up 
somewhat on the hind legs at the same time. 

Dilatation of the Neck of the Womb. — This commenced towards 
the hitter part of the former stage. It is marked by increased signs 
of pain. It is a gradual process, the pain at first lasting for a few 
seconds; later, when the membranes are forcibly dilating the neck, it 
is continuous, the womb and vagina becoming, by the dilatation, one 
continuous cavity. 



Expulsion of the Foetus. — The water-bag, having dilated the 



necx 



of the womb, passed outward and appears at the vulva. The severe 
straining soon ruptures it, allowing the feet of thefcetus to protrude. 
The head resting in most cases as described in the next section, aids 




The large water-bag has just appeared. 



in dilating the parts. Nature usually allows a short rest after forcing 
the head tlirough, to prepare for the severest part, the passage of 
the shoulders, after which all is easy. The umbilical cord is usually 
broken when the foal falls to the ground, and it is freed from its 
coverings. 

Expulsion of the After-birth. — This usually takes place a few 
minutes afterbirth, but occasionally not for a longer time. If not de- 
tached within a few hours it becomes a serious nuittcr, as in remov- 
ing it hemorrhage is liable to occur. During and after the expulsion 
of the membranes, the womb rapidly contracts and diminishes in 
size ; the neck of the womb also grows smaller, and in a short time 
assumes normal proportions. 



PARTUEITION. 



405 



111 the cow, the placenta (after-birth) may be retained for one, 
two or three days without causing any trouble, owing to its formation 
being different from that of the mare. 

II. The Different Presentations. 

The variety of positions in which the foetus may be presented is 
surprising, but there are four presentations to which, because of their 
being by far the most frequent, we will call special attention, 
namely: (1) the head presenting, (2) the tail presenting, (3) the 
the right transverse position, and (4) the left transverse position. 




HEAD PRESENTATION. 

Head Presentation. — This is the most common, and the one that is 
attended with the least cliiBculty. It is depicted with great accuracy 
in our illustration. The fore feet are extended, and the head rests 
upon them ; thus they form a sort of cone, which acts as a dilator of 
the passage, greatly facilitating the delivery. Many authors claim 
this to be the only "natural" form of delivery. 

Tail Presentation. — This is another frequent form, yet much less 
so than the one just considered. Here the hind feet protrude, with 
the tail resting on them. This form of delivery is not as easy as the 
first, on account of there being no gradual dilatation to permit the 
passage of the large croup. It is easily recognized by feeling the 
hocks and the tail of the foetus. Our illustration of this position is 
of the cow, and to many of our readers will be the more useful for 
that reason. In the mare this presentation is exactly the same. 



406 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Right Transverse Position. — This should not be considered a nat- 
ural form (though many veterinarians think otherwise), but rather 
as a malpresentation. The head is turned to the right side of the 
mother. It may be distinguished by feeling the colt's withers, mane 
and head. 

Left Transverse Position. — This is the reverse of the preceding. 
The position is head to the left, as may be recognized by feeling the 
colt's withers, and up along his neck. 

All other presentations may, in a general way, be regarded as mod- 
ifications of the four above described. 




TAIL PRKSENTATION. 



III. Attention to the Mother. 

In this section we shall simply run over a few leading items as to 
the care of the mother. For at least three or four weeks previous to 
the period of foaling, the mare should be allowed gentle exercise, as 
a safeguard against abortion. As the critical period a[)proaches, she 
should be put in good condition, not positively fat, aiul not thin, and 
if her digestion is disordered, it should be treated as directed else- 
where in this work. Medicines, especially those violent in their ac- 
tion, are only to be used by experienced men, and e\ on then with ex- 
treme caution. 

No person should be allowed to stay within sight of a mare show- 
ing signs of foaling. Even the attendant should keep in the back- 



PARTURITION. 



407 



ground, as this animal has a natural aversion to any one being present 
during delivery. 

The stable should be warm, well ventilated, and free from drafts. 
A box stall is always advisable. A mare heavy with foal should never 
be tied in a stall, for if she should suddenly foal, she would be unable 
to clean the offspring, and, besides, during the labor, she might seri- 
ously injure herself. 

If any marked weakness is shown after foaling, a dose of diluted 
whiskey is advisable. The after-birth is ordinarily passed within 
fifteen or twenty minutes, and while this is likely to be accompanied 
by additional pains of a colicky nature, they are not to be regarded 
as dano;erous. 




RIGHT TRANSVERSE POSITION. 

IV. Attention to the Poal. 

Immediately the foal is born, the mother will clean it, and assist it 
to the teat. Occasionally it is passed still enwrapped in the mem- 
branes, and if these are not soon opened, it is liable to be asphyxiated. 
A careful inspection of the various openings of the body should be 
made to see that they are free; possibly the eyes, rectum, etc., may 
be imperforate, necessitating cutting the skin over them. 

When the mother neglects to clean the foal, it may be rubbed dry 
with a soft cloth, or by some similar method. If too weak to stand, 
support and hold it up to the teat ; in man}^ instances bandages to 
aid in strengthening the legs are of much benefit. Constipation is a 
frequent trouble in very young animals, but may readily be removed by 
the judicious use of a little castor oil. 



408 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



V. Difficult Parturition in the Mare and Cow Compared. 
In the mare there is not often much difficulty in parturition. In the 
vast majority of instances no aid is needed to bring the deliver}^ to a 
successful termination, and parturition is accomplished in a very short 
time, the whole process being completed within about half an hour. 
Compared with the cow, the mare's difficult labors have been placed by 
different authorities at only 1-10 to 1-25 as many. But what she 
gains by the rarity of her difficulties she loses in the very ecrioas 
nature that they take when they do occur. Practical farmers and 
breeders, for whom this book is expressly written, will be interested 
in a comparison which has been formulated by Donnarieix, as follows : 

cow. 



MARE. 

1. Delivery is often followed by in- 
success. 

2. A wound inflicted on the genital 
organs is generally fatal. 

3. Inversion of the womb is nearly 
always irremediable. 

4. Mares nearly always succumb to 
penetrating wounds of the abdomen dur- 
ing parturition. 

5. Delivery of the most simple kind 
is occasionally followed by bad results. 
In abnormal and laborious parturitions 
not uuf requently mare and foal succumb. 

6. Difficult parturition proves a her- 
culean task to the operator. 

7. The duration of the life of the fce- 
tus in a case of abnormal labor, does not 
extend beyond the fourth hour, on ac- 
count of the young animal having to 
maintain its independent existence, as if 
already born. 



8, The neck of the foal being very 
long, the head is usually found deeply 
buried in the Hank whenever it is turned 
backward. The operator has very great 
difficulty in reaching the head with his 
hand; indeed, it is often impossible to 
bring it into its natural position. The 
loop slips off the neck of the lower jaw, 
and has constantly to be replaced; it is 
scarcely possible to fix a cord there, this 
portion of the jaw being so short, and 
the foetus having no teeth. 



1. Delivery always terminates favor- 
ably. 

2. A wound of these organs rarely 
causes death. 

3. Inversion of the uterus is often cur- 
able. 

4. This accident is generally not fatal 
in cows. 

5. Delivery, even in the most compli- 
cated cases, generally proves compar- 
atively easy, and obstetrical operations 
successful. 

6. Such parturitions are not of much 
account to a practitioner skilled in the 
necessary operations. 

7. Under the same circumstances the 
calf may live four or five days in the 
womb, as life is maintained by the large 
number of placental attachments. These 
differences are explained by the mech- 
anism of f03tal life in the two species of 
animals, as well as by the anatomy of the 
uterus and ftxital membranes. 

8. The neck of the foetus being shorter 
and thicker, the head is less twisted, and 
the oper;itor can ^vilh greater ease bring 
it back into its normal position; in addi- 
tion there are teeth in the lower jaw, the 
neck of which is narrow; so that the 
slip-knot does not leave it, and straight- 
ening of the head and neck becomes an 
easy affair. 



PAETURITION. 409 

9. When once the amniotic fluid has 9. The genital organs are continually 

escaped, the introduction of the hand is lubricated by a mucous fluid, which, while 

difficult, owing to the genital organs be- it facilitates the introduction of the 

coming dry; this dryness causes an ef- hand, renders easy any necessary correc- 

flux of blood to the mucous membranes, tion of position, and favors parturient 

The resistance made by the foetal mem- operations. Besides, any movement 

branes to manipulation, when made to as- made is not, in general, of much conse- 

certain either the position of the f cetus, or quence. 
for correctingthe position, together with 
the struggles and violence of the mare, 
which now and then drops as if dead, are 
all difficulties to be overcome. 

VI. Difficulties Due to the Mother. 

The cause of difficult labor is not often found in tlie mare, but when 
it is the obstruction is generally of a serious character. Among- the 
nimiber may be mentioned fractures of the hip bones, which, l)y 
uniting badly have reduced the possible vaginal diameter; tumors on 
the bones ; disease of the neck of the womb ; twists of the womb ; 
tumors in the womb, or the adjacent parts; stricture of the vulva, etc. 

VII. Difficulties Due to the Foal. 

Ordinarily, the cause of difficult parturition is to be found in the 
foal. Malpresentations are, of course, the most common. Of these 
veterinary science has had to deal with an exceedingly large number, 
but principally with those forms in which the head is turned back or 
turned to one side, or the feet do not present properl}^ The head 
and tail presentations, both excellently illustrated by our artist, are 
the ordinary ones; theright or left transverse positions (see page 407) 
are necessarily sources of trouble. Under the head we are consider- 
ing must likewise be mentioned excessive size of the foetus, its death, 
twins, too much fluid in the water-bag, monstrosities, deformities, etc. 

VIII. Obstetric Instruments. 

For the correction of a malpresentation, definite rules must be 
followed, and certain instruments are necessary. 

When aid is given, always commence by securing the part that is 
presenting, with a rope; then insert the hand, to determine the cause 
of the difficulty. If due to the head or a foot being turned backward, 
bring it to a proper position before endeavoring to remove the foal. 
The instruments absolutely necessary are neither numerous or costlv, 
a thin, strong, cotton rope, a sharp-pointed hook, a blunt-pointed 



410 THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

hook, and a long iron rod with a cross-piece on the end, called a re- 
peller. The last mentioned is exceedingly valuable for pushing away 
one part, to allow of another being secured, or to aid in turning the 





SHAKP HOOK. BLUNT HOOK. 

foetus. The hooks are invaluable for taking firm hold of a part and 
helping to extract the foal ; to the loop at the end a rope is at- 
tached. 

IX. When the Foal is Born Dead, or the After-birth Retained. 
In those cases already referred to, where death and decomposition 
of the foetus has occurred, or where the after-birth has been retained 
and become putrid, efficient antiseptic measures are necessary. After- 
treatment, such as is so prominent in the physician's practice, follow- 
ing difficult parturition, is never thought of in the veterinarian's. 
However, the copious use of lukewarm vaginal injections of a mild 
nature, are very requisite in the class of cases we are considering. 
No. 1, diluted v/ith an equal amount of pure water, will be of signal 
benefit. An ordinary syringe ^\\\l answer. From one to two quarts 
of the fluid should be injected into the vagina, whence it will gravitate 
to the lowest parts, and render harmless the germs accompanying 
the decomposition. This may be repeated twice a day, for three or 
four days, by which time its healthy action Avill have become very ap- 
parent. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 
DISEASES OP THE NOSE AND THROAT. 



I. PREVALENCE OF THESE DISEASES. II. CATARRH, OR COMMON COLD. III. 

NASAL GLEET. IV. NASAL POLYPUS. V. NASAL HEMORRHAGE, OR EPIS- 

TAXIS. VI. LARYNGITIS, OR INFLAMMATION OF THE LARYNX.- VII. 

ROARING AND WHISTLING, OR LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS. 

I. Prevalence of These Diseases. 

Diseases of the nose, throat and respiratoiy organs are very com- 
mon among the horses of our climate, which is so variable, and sub- 
ject to such great extremes of temperature in a short time, that twenty- 
four hours is sometimes enough to plunge one from summer heat into 
the severity of winter. Perhaps the valley of the Mississippi has, in 
this respect, one of the least desirable climates within the temperate 
zone. During much of the year, also, the atmosphere is very damp, 
especially in the winter and spring seasons. The horse has nothing 
but the superior strength of his sj^stem, enabling him better to resist 
unfavorable influences, to entitle him to &ny exemption from most of 
the diseases of humanity, and this advantage is apt to be fully over- 
balanced by the greater exposure he is compelled to undergo. Hence 
we find that the horse's throat and air-passages are as subject to dis- 
ease as most other parts of his body, and nearly as much so as those 
of the human being in the same latitudes. . 

II. Catarrh, or Common Cold. 

This is the simplest and most common of the class of disorders un- 
der consideration, as well in the horse as with his master. When we 
consider the great and sometimes prolonged exposure of the horse, it 
is astonishing that he does not take cold more frequently than he 
does. There are many horse owners — and it is something for which 
every humane person must be thankful that their number is constantly 
increasing — who are as careful concerning: their teams as the nature 
of their duties will permit; and who, knowing the advantages of 
good, sufficient, and regular feeding, of comfortable stables, and of 

411 



412 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



warm blankets at the proper time, practically improve that knowledo-e 
in the habitual management and keeping of their stock. Such exem- 
plify the Scriptural proverb that "a merciful man is merciful to his 
beast," and are repaid thrice over for their humanity in a direct pe- 
cuniary sense. 

Symptoms. — The first sign noticed of approaching disease is sneez- 
ing. This is followed by dullness, and a general feverish condition, 
with, perhaps, more or less disinclination for food. The eves water 
and a whitish discharge appears from the nose, which later turns 
thick and of a yellowish color. Cough is generally a prominent ac- 
companiment, from the extension of the inflammation to the throat. 

Treatment. — In an ordinary case this 
is very simple. Provide a comfortable 
stall, and if necessary cover the horse 
with a blanket. Let the diet be of soft and 
easily digested food. Allay the fever hj 
administering any of the fever medicines 
that will be found in our "Recapitulation 
of Remedies." If the glands become 
much swollen, the steaming process which 
we illustrate will be ver}^ beneficial. It is 
easily accomplished by pouring boiling- 
water on bran, and fastening the sack 
which holds the latter under the nostrils, 
or b}^ holding the head over a bucket of 
hot water in which some tincture of iodine 
has been poured. This will afford the sufferer grateful relief. 
• For the relief of the cough, follow the treatment laid down for 
laryngitis, in Section VI of this chapter. 

III. Nasal Gleet. 

This disease has already been considered in Chapter XV. The 
importance of distinguishing it from glanders is too apparent to re- 
quire further emphasizing. 

IV. Nasal Polypus. 

This is a soft tumor that grows from the lining membrane of the 

nostril. Acting as an obstruction to breathing, it occasions uneasir 

ness in the horse, and produces a kind of snufHing. In time there 

is a discharge from the nostril, which may be tinged with blood. 




STEAMING BAG. 



DISEASES OF THE NOSE AND THROAT. 



411 



The tumor may not be noticed at first, but by its steady growth will 
presently become visible back of the nasal opening. This is the usual 
growth, but occasionally these tumors grow in the opposite direction, 
and extend into the pharynx; if of large size, they may even project 
into the larynx, making the animal seem a "roarer." Such a horse, 
in case of severe exertion, is liable to fall down from suffocation; 
but he w^ill quickly recover, the larynx being cleared by the cough 
and the change of position. These things will be better understood 
after consulting pages 168 and 169 of this work. 

Treatment. — This consists, of course, in removing the abnormal 
growth, which will be far less painful than most persons suppose, the 
reason being that the polypus is a structure of very low organization. 




MOUTH SPECULUM, 

When it projects into the nose, it may be grasped high up by a pair 
of forceps and gradually twisted off. When it projects into the 
pharynx, a mouth speculum will be very valuable in assuring the diag- 
nosis, etc. This instrument is well illustrated in the foreg-oing: cut. 
The tumor can be felt back of the soft palate. Fasten a loop of strong 
wire around its pedicle, and gradually pull it away. 

The after-treatment will be quiet and rest for a few days, with the 
occasional use of the steamino; basf. 

v. Nasal Hemorrhage, or Epistaxis. 

This is wdiat is commonl}^ known as nose-bleed. 

Causes. — This may result from the rupture of a small blood-vessel 
in the nose, or from any injury that crushes in the bone. A ruptured 
vessel in a highly inflamed lung may likewise produce it; or it may 
be a symptom of other diseases that break down the general sj^stem, 
such as glanders, etc. 



414 THE AMERICAN" FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Symptoms. — When the hemorrhage is caused bv some injur}' i^ 
the nasal cavitj^, the blood usually issues from one nostril only. If 
the injured vessel is a large one, the flow will be continuous, but from 
small vessels it will collect inside, and form clots, which are sneezed 
or coughed out at irregular periods. When the ruptured vessel is in 
the lung, the blood will flow from both nostrils during painful fits of 
coughing, and it will be of a frothy character, from mixing with the 
respired air. On applying the ear to the chest, the bubbling of the 
blood in the air-tubes may be recognized. By noting the distinctions 
we have pointed out, iiny one can readily locate the seat of hemor- 
rhage in the great majority of cases. 

Treatment. — The use of cold applications is often of great benefit; 
likewise the plugging of the nostril with a piece of tow. When the 
hemorrhage is due to an injur}^ and a depressed piece of bone, the 
latter must be elevated, or the bone may be trephined out. These 
processes are briefly described elsewhere, both requiring the skill and 
special appliances of a professional man. 

When the bleeding is from the congested lungs, it is their relief to 
which treatment must be directed. The following drench should be 
given to check the flow. 

No. 54. Acetate of lead, 1 ounce. 

Tincture of opium, 4 ounces. 
Water, to make 1 pint. 
Mix. 

Give a wineglassful, in a half pint of water, every hour until re- 
lieved. 

VI. Laryngitis, or Inflammation of the Larynx. 

This is a very common trouble among horses, sometimes independ- 
ently, but oftener in connection with such diseases as influenza, 
catarrh, etc., from the extension of inflammation from other parts. 
Occasionallj^ it is brought on by inhaling irritating gases. 

Symptoms. — The animal is feverish, with a full, strong pulse. In 
the first stages, the throat is dry, there is a painful cough, and swal- 
lowing is only accomplished Avith manifest difiiculty. By pressing on 
the larynx, pain is evinced and the cougli is renewed. The head is 
usually extended, the nostrils dilated, and in man}'" cases the eyes arc 
very prominent, indicating intense suffering. 

This dry condition of the membrane soon gives place to a moist 
one. It then becomes swollen, and a discharoc of thick whitish, or 




DISEASES OF THE NOSE AND THROAT. 415 

perhaps yellowish, matter issues from the nose, and collects around 
the orifice. The cough is now noticed to be softer and of a less pain- 
ful character, the nostrils are not so widely dilated, and the eyes 
appear less strikingly unnatural. The fever still continues, but in a 
less degree, and the pulse is slower and less irri- 
table. A little soft or soothing food may be 
eaten, but the appetite is still poor. Should the 
discharge change to a greenish tinge, it indicates 
that the cartilage of the larjaix is involved — a 
very serious condition. 

If well treated, recovery should occur in about ^„„^.^ , , 

^ ' . -^ THROAT BANDAGE. 

two weeks. When the attack lasts lono-er than 

this, it is liable to become chronic; the membrane of the larynx be- 
coming thickened, keeps up a continual state of irritation, and the 
short, hacking cough may last for many months. 

Treatment. — First provide a comfortable box stall, with plenty of 
fresh air, but protected from drafts. In the stall keep a bucket of 
clean, fresh water, with a tablespoonful of chlorate of potash in it, 
and let the horse drink of it whenever he wishes. The diet must not 
only be easy of digestion, but of such a kind as will be easily 
swallowed. Oatmeal gruel, flax-seed tea, and grain boiled soft, with 
plenty of salt, will be excellent. 

Poultice the throat with hot flax-seed, as may easily be done in 
the manner shown in the engraving. The poultices should be re- 
newed as soon as they cool; as often as every two hours, at least. 
To combat the fever, many of the fever medicines are prescribed in 
this work ; and to relieve the cough administer the following : 

No. 55. Syrup of squills, 2 ounces. 

Fluid extract of belladonna, 2 ounces. 

Powdered camphor, 1 ounce. 

Honey, 3 ounces. 
Mix. 

Give a tablespoonful on the tongue every three hours. 

Should the cough become chronic, a little of the Absorbent Blister 

No. 11 may be rubbed over the throat, and the following pills given: 

No. 56. Powdered opium, % ounce. 

Powdered camphor, ^ ounce. 

Powdered digitalis, ?4 ounce. 

Powdered liquorice root, l^fj ounces. 
Vaseline, sufficient to mix. 

Divide into six parts, roll into pill shape (.see cut on page 368), 
^nd cover with thin paper. Give one pill twice a day, 



416 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

VII. Roaring and Whistling, or Laryngeal Paralysis. 

Roaring and whistling are generally considered as symptoms of the 
same disease, namely, laryngeal paralysis, although they may also 
occur from other causes, to be presently considered. The difference 
between them may be stated in few words. 

In roaring the paralysed side — usually the left— allows the vocal 
cord of that side to relax, while in whistling, both cords are found to 
relax, and hence the production of different sounds. The unnatural 
sound of roaring is emitted during inspiration, never during expira- 
tion; that of whistling is generally the same, but in some horses may 
be heard during expiration also, though feebly. 

Causes. — The hereditary nature of this disease is now generally 
accepted by veterinarians. It has been demonstrated that it is trans- 
missible from a stallion to his progeny, and that certain strains of 
horses are peculiarly subject to it. Yet there are many special causes. 
Among them we may mention nasal poljqjus ; broken bones closing 
the nostril ; tumors extending downward from the posterior part of 
the nostrils into the larynx ; tumors in the chest cavitj^ ; disease of 
the neighboring glands; stricture of the trachea; and the foolish, 
not to say barbarous, practice of reining too tightly, etc. 

Roaring does not commence abruptly, but usually in an intermittent 
form. Very likely the animal is also noticed to be very subject to 
sore throats and general laryngeal irritation. These conditions may 
have come and gone several times without attracting much attention, 
till at length they reappear in an aggravated form, and the horse is 
found to be a confirmed roarer. 

How to Detect. — To test the wind of a horse, take your position, 
and have him galloped up a hill or over a rough piece of ground, past 
you, and near you. Never allow the seller to slow him up as he ap- 
proaches you, as this, in an ordinary case of either roaring or whist- 
ling, will frequently stop it. If it is a draft horse, make him pull a 
heavy load for a short distance. Roarers are also generally "grunt- 
ers;" that is, b}'^ feinting at striking them, they will grunt. Grunt- 
ers, however, are not always roarers. Both forms of this disease — 
in other words, both the roaring and whistling — are considered se- 
rious unsoundnesses. 

Treatment. — Ascertain, if possil)lc, whether any removable cause 
is present, and if so, remedy it ininu'diatcly. At the beginning of 
roaring or whistling, the use of a blister, or the hot iron, over the 



DISEASES OF THE NOSE AND THROAT. 417 

larynx has in a few cases effected a cure. But in confirmed cases 
treatment is useless. Even in these, however, a nose band, with two 
pads pressing on tlie affected nostril, will frequently greatly lessen the 
disagreeable sound, by diminishing the volume of air which enters. 

An operation, devised by the- veterinarian Gunther, of Hanover, 
for the excision of the vocal cord, has been very extensively tried of 
late years, but with less success, in a large percentage of cases, than 
the inventor anticipated. It is too complicated an operation to de- 
scribe here, and requires a number of special instruments which no 
farmer can be expected to have. 

Another method of relieving this trouble is to perform tracheot- 
omy; that is, to open the trachea, and insert a tracheotomy tube for 
the passage of air. This tube will always have to be worn, when the 
animal is at Avork, for the renuiinder of his life. No farmer will think 
of resorting to this method either. 
27 



CHAPTEE XXXIII. 

DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. 



I. BRONCHITIS. II. PNEUMONIA, OK INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS. III. 

ASTHMA, BROKEN WIND, AND HEAVES (EMPHYSEMA OF THE LUNGS). IV. 

PLEURISY, WITH WATER ON THE CHEST (HYDKOTHORAX). 

I. Bronchitis. 

This is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes leading to the lung, 
havino- at first a dry and congested stage, followed later by the for- 
mation of a mucous secretion. 

Causes. — Most commonly exposure to colds or drafts. It may also 
occur from inhaling irritating substances, or from food or water 
passing into the lungs. 

Symptoms. — Bronchitis exists in the two different forms known 
as acute and chronic. We will consider the two forms together. The 




BRONCHITIS. 



symptoms of bronchitis are generally well marked. The horse is nor 
ticcd to be off his feed, appears listless, and very likely is remarked 
to have a cold. Soon, however, there occurs an alarming change in the 
breathing, which becomes rapid and diflicult, the chest and a))donii- 
nal muscles being called into forcibk^ action to assist in respiration. 

418 



DISEASES OF THE LUNGS, 419 

There is a cough, loud and harsh, and the mucus that keeps accumu- 
lating in the bronchii is frequently forced through the nose, by an 
effort similar to that in sneezing. This is illustrated in the ens^rav- 
ing herewith presented. The mouth is filled with saliva, the legs and 
ears are hot, indicating an increase of the temperature, or, in other 
words, fever. Water is drank greedih^, and the head will be poked 
out of the stall to secure all the cool air possible. The pulse is quick 
and soft, and will beat as high as sixty to seventy per minute. 

Auscultation, or listening to the sound of the lungs by pressing the 

ear aa^ainst the chest, will be an invaluable aid in recoo:nizin2: bron- 
co ' 15 & 

chitis. In a healthy lung respiration is characterized by a soft, coo- 
ing murmur. This in bronchitis is turned to a loud, rattling sound 
over the middle of the chest, when the large bronchial tubes are the 
ones affected; or a high squeaking sound over the extreme upper or 
lower parts of the chest, when the smaller tubes are involved. Any 
farmer can avail himself of this method of diao-nosino; bronchitis. 
On the other hand percussion, or tapping on the chest with the finger 
tips, will show nothing except to the trained ear of a professional man. 

As the case progresses, the nasal discharge which has hitherto been 
thick, and whitish or even j^ellowish in color, is likely to become thin- 
ner and clearer, the cough is less forced and softer, and the breath- 
ing and pulse become slower. These are favorable symptoms, in- 
dicating the subsidence of inflammation, and the approach of con- 
valescence. 

Chronic Bronchitis. — The chronic form of bronchitis is character- 
ized b}' similar symptoms, but the disease does not tend to such a 
speedy recovery. The cough has a loud, metallic ring, and may be 
very painful. Weakness and wasting are also frequent accompan- 
iments. 

Treatment. — The treatment of bronchitis will be essentially the 
same for both the acute and chronic forms. Provide a large, airy 
box, free from drafts; clothe the horse Avell ; give a little light food, 
and keep a bucket of water continuall}^ in the stall. If half an ounce 
of the chlorate of potash is dissolved in the water, all the better. At 
the commencement of the disease, a dose (one ounce) of the tincture 
of opium will usually relieve the svmptoms and give ease. The head 
should be steamed with hot water, or hot bran (see cut on page 
412), in which some tincture of iodine, carbolic acid or creosote has 
been placed. The chest may be wrapped in blankets that have been 



420 



THi5 AMEEICAN FAEMER'S HORSE BOOK. 




wrung out in hot or cold water; these should be changed every hour 
or so. Change quickly, so the animal will not chill. 

Bleeding is not advisable in this disease. The animal being debil- 
itated already, needs to have his sj^stem stimulated and supported, in- 
stead of depleted. Give him wineglassful doses of whiskey in the 
drinking water every four hours. Should the fever rise to a temper- 
ature of over 104 degrees, the Fever Medicine No. 45 should be 
given. 

In chronic bronchitis, it will be best to also apply a blister to the 
chest; for this purpose mustard answers very well. The following 
drench should also be given : 

No. 67. Iodide of potash, 6 drachms. 
Chloride of ammonia,! ounce. 
Water, 1 pint. 

Mix 

Give a wineglassful four times 
a day. 

II. Pneumonia, or Inflammation of 
the Lungs. 

Inflammation of the lungs — or, 
as it is often called, lung fever — 
differs from bronchitis in the whole of the lung substance being in- 
volved, whereas in bronchitis the lining membrane of the tubes only 
is involved. But a condition often exists in which both diseases are 
present, constituting broncho-pneumonia. 

Causes. — The ordinary causes are the same as those of bronchitis, 
namely, exposure to draughts; chills; inhaling irritating substances, 
as the smoke of burning hay, straw, etc. ; and the passage of food or 
water into the lung. It may also result from some accident, in which 
the chest wall is punctured and the lung injured. It is also seen 
as a secondary affection in some blood diseases. 

Symptoms. — Pneumonia very commonly begins with a chill, which 
soon passes off, and is followed by increased warmth of the ears, 
mouth and legs. The temperature rises to 103 or 104 degrees, and 
the pulse becomes full and rapid, though still soft. The breathing, 
which at the outset appeared natural, or nearly so, ver}^ soon 
changes, the respirations increasing to 30 or 40 per minute. At this 
staoje of the disease the sufferer hano^s his head, and stands with 
elbows turned out and toes turned in. This is faithfully depicted in 



PNEUMONIA, OR LUNG FEVER. 



DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. - 421 

our illustration. The appetite, very capricious at the start, is now en- 
tirely lost. Thirst is very apparent and distressing;, and the mouth 
is filled with frothy saliva. In extreme cases, the fore legs are 
stretched forward and the head extended. In nearl}^ all cases of lung- 
disease the horse will refuse to lie down, and exhibit great reluctance 
to move. 

Auscultation (listening to the lung sounds by pressing the ear 
against the chest) is of the highest value in determining the exis- 
tence and extent of the malady. In the commencement a fine, 
crackling sound is heard, which has been well compared to the crack- 
ling of salt when thrown in the stove; this may be heard over all the 
affected area. In a short time this is succeeded b}^ a loud tubal 
breathing, or, perhaps, there is a total absence of sound, denoting 
the solidification of the lung. In a favorable case, this condition, 
combined with the fever, will continue for about a week, and then 
will gradually subside, the mouth and ears becoming cooler, and the 
breathing easier, as the lung resumes its normal character. 

Percussion (taiDping with the finger tips) o^ er the chest wall, will, 
to a practiced ear, show a dullness over the affected regions that is of 
material value in the diagnosis. 

During the progress of the disease, a mucous discharge of a yel- 
lowish color issues from the nostrils ; this ma}^ be so profuse as to 
fairly stop them up. 

After a severe attack of pneumonia, great debility and emaciation 
may be expected, but they rapidly disappear under healtlnnnfluences, 
including good feeding. 

We must mention that pneumonia usually affects one lung only, 
and frequently only in spots ; 3 et it does sometimes attack them both 
at once. Observations seem to show that the right lung is oftener 
affected than the left. 

Pneumonia is emphatically an acute disease, and runs its course 
rapidly. Death may occur at any period, but most freqentlj^ during 
the stage of consolidation of the lung, and when the fever is at its 
height. 

Treatment, — The first thing is to secure a good, comfortable, airy 
box; then clothe the animal warml}'. Thirst being excessive, on ac- 
count of the fever, keep a pail of cool water — with a tablespoonful 
of the chlorate of potash dissolved in it — all the time before the pa- 
tient. In the early part of the trouble, and while the pulse is full 



422 THE AMERICAIsr FARMER* S HORSE BOOK. 

and stronoj, the following drench will be beneficial, but must be dis- 
continued if the pulse becomes small and weak: 

No. 58. Tincture of aconite, 1 drachm. 

Liquor ammonia acetate, 1 pint. 
. Mix. 

Give a wineglassful, in a half pint of water, every four hours. 
When recovery commences, or earlier if great debility is showai, a 
stimulating course of treatment will yield far better results. Two 
ounces of whiskey may be given in a little drinking water every three 
hours; or the following stimulating fever medicine maybe substi- 
tuted. 

No. 59. Powdered camphor, 2 ounces. 

Alcohol, 6 ounces. 

Spirits of nitrous ether, S ounces. 
Water, sufficient to make 1 quart. 
Mix. 

Dissolve the camphor in the alcohol, and then add the remainder. 
Give a wineglassful in half a pint of water every four hours. 

Local Treatment.-^The local treatment of pneumonia will be to 
apply blankets around the chest, that have been wrung out in hot or 
cold water; these must be changed every hour or two, day and night, 
while the disease is serious. The effect of this form of treatment is 
generally very marked, the temperature rapidly falling, and all the 
principal symptoms being greatly relieved. 

Mustard poultices, l)listers, etc., should not be used, except to- 
wards convalescence, and then only when it has l)ecome tardy. In the 
acute stages of the fever, the use of these fiery substances can do no 
good; they on 1}^ tend to increase the uneasiness, by creating another 
inflammation. 

As to Bleeding. — Bleeding has practically been abandoned by repu- 
table veterinarians in the treatment of lung fcAcr. If ever advis- 
able, it will only be at the commencement, that is, during the con- 
gestive stage, and while the pulse is full and strong. AVhen weak- 
ness sets in, bleeding can only result in positive injury to the patient. 

III. Asthma, Broken Wind, and Heaves. 
These may all be considered as one form of disease; or, rather, one 
condition (emphysema of the lungs), which may be brought on by a 
variety of different diseases. The parts of the lung involved are the 
small air cells, the minutest ramifications of the bronchial tubes. 
These may be greatly distended, or else their walls ruptured — in either 



DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. 



423 



case, forming large vacuous spaces. Having lost all elasticity, their 
contained air is only forced out by the peculiar mode of breathing to 
be described later. 

Causes. — In many instances the cause is very obscure, but in the 
majority of these cases careful inquiry can generally trace it to some 
disorder of the digestive apparatus, especially over-distension of the 
stomach. This latter is supposed to affect the pneumogastric nerves, 
which also supplies the lungs, in this way inducing a sympathetic af- 
fection. This condition also appears as a sequel of many inflamma- 
tory diseases of the respiratory apparatus, such as bronchitis, pneu- 
monia, laryngitis, etc. Furthermore, the opinion has come to pre- 




A SEVERE CASE OF BROKEN WIND. 



vail, of late years, that this disease, or a tendency to it, is transmissible 
from one generation to another. 

Symptoms. — Broken wind is a trouble that may come on very grad- 
ually, or may appear more suddenly after severe inflammation of any 
of the respiratory organs. Frequently the animal is a greedy feeder, 
and greatly troubled with flatulence. In horses but slightly affected, 
the symptoms may not be noticed while at rest, but when in motion 
they will be quite apparent. A characteristic feature of this condi- 
tion, both in and out of the stable, is the cough. This is so peculiar 
as to be readily recognized. It has a weak, prolonged, hollow sound, 
and seems to be performed with difliculty, the mouth generally open. 



424 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

But the most marked peculiarity is in the respiration. At each ex- 
piration the abdominal muscles are brought into powerful action to 
expel the air from the lungs, a process which is noisily effected by a 
double jerking movement of the muscles, altogether different from 
the easy simple movement of health. In severe attacks a shallow 
groove will be seen along the lower part of the chest, as shown in the 
accompanying illustration. This is due to the muscular rigidity of 
the chest caused by the effort required to expel the air. Ausculta- 
tion, explained in the previous sections of this chapter, may reveal a 
bubbling or rattling sound in different parts of the lung; or, accord- 
ing to the severity of the case, may show an almost total absence of 
sound. Percussion will give a loud, hollow sound, but is of little 
diagnostic value, except to a trained veterinarian. The chest is gener- 
ally fuller and rounder than in perfect health. 

Treatment. — The diet is the first thing to be attended to. The 
food should be of the best, and given at frequent intervals, the ob- 
ject being to prevent any 
distension of the stomach, 
which is somethino- that 
always seems to have a very 
bad effect. The hay should 
be limited in quantit}^ all 
dust shaken out, and chopped 
hue ; then wet, and perhaps 
salted. The amount of feed 
given should be carefully 
A SIMPLE MUZZLE. rcgulatcd. Between meals 

This device is efficacious in preventing biting, as well as +|jg < < o'reedv feeder' ' sliould 
for a greedy feeder. & -J 

be muzzled. We herewith 
show a strong durable muzzle, and one easily made and managed. 

The bowels must be kept in regular condition, by using an occa- 
sional mash. For the same purpose regular exercise is very desirable ; 
but it should be carefully given, always in moderation and on a full 
stomach. 

To relieve the distressed breathing, give the following drench, re- 
peating it in an hour or two, if required : 

No. 60. Spirits of ether, fo ounce. 

Glycerine, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 

Give as one dose in half a pint of water. 

The cough m;iy be relieved by using the nil No. 56. 




DISEASES OF THE LUNGS. 



425 



IV. Pleurisy, with Water on the Chest ( Hydro thorax) . 

Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the membrane which 
covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity. This membrane, when 
inflamed, goes through the regular inflammatory changes — first a dry 
or congested stage, followed by an effusion of serum from the blood. 

Causes. — The causes are similar to those of bronchitis and pneu- 
monia, especially colds from exposure, etc. ; but it may occur in con- 
nection with other diseases, as rheumatism, influenza, etc. It is also 
seen as a result of various injuries of the chest — kicks, punctured 
wounds, blows, etc. 

Symptoms. — Pleurisy comes on suddenly, usually with a chill. 
Sometimes the animal will paw and rolls, the manifestations in this 
way resembling colic, 
for which it is fre- 
quently mistaken. Be- 
fore long, however, 
diflicult breathing is 
noticed; the ribs are 
held rigid, the elbows 
turned out, and the 
breathing is nearly all 
done by means of the 
muscles of the abdo- 
men. Along the lower 
side of the chest, from 
the fore leg back to the a case of pleurisy. 

point of the ilium, may The shallow furrow below the ribs and up the flank is plainly 

be discovered a shallow 

furrow, marking plainly how greatly the muscles are contracted. 
The fever runs high, equaling that of pneumonia; the temperature 
ranges from 103 to 107 degrees. The pulse, of course, is greatly ac- 
celerated — from 60 to 80 beats per minute — and is hard and wiry. 
When a cough is present, as there often is, it causes such pain that 
the animal will try and suppress it. By pressing between the ribs, 
feinting at striking them, or making the patient turn suddenly round, 
a painful grunt is veiy likely to be elicited. 

Auscultation will find the murmurous sounds within the lung about 
natural, and yet the sound is peculiar; there is, in addition, a sort of 
creaking — a noise as of harsh folds rubbing together — caused hy the 




426 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



movement, one upon tlie other, of the serous membrane covering the 
kings, and the extension of the same lining the chest wall. This is 
the stage of congestion, which is shortly succeeded by the stage of 
effusion. So now — the dry painful period having passed, and a plen- 
tiful effusion of serum being in progress — we have a case of hydro- 
thorax, or water in the chest. 

Hydrothorax. — The amount of the secretion maybe small, in which 
cases it is readily absorbed, the disease ending in resolution, and the 
natural functions being shortly restored. But when the secretion is 
excessive, the surrounding parts are not capable of disposing of (ab- 
sorbing) it, and there it continues to gather in the lower part of the 
chest cavity, and this, too, upon both sides, there being a connnuni- 
cation between them. The horse which, when the congestive stage 
first gave place to the effusive, may have appeared nearly well again, 
will now begin to take long, deep breaths. There is a marked change 

also in the pulse; it is 
small, weak and flut- 
tering. As the amount 
of the effused fluid 
increases within the 
chest, it compresses 
the lungs more and 
\ more, and increases, 
correspondingly, the 
difliculty of lireath- 
^ ing; the head is pro- 
truded ; the counte- 
nance assumes an anx- 
ious expression ; and 
swelling of the legs 
and along the belly 
appears. If the fluid does not increase very fast, the sufferer's fight 
for life is prolonged ; but he will lose flesh rapidly, and appear greatly 
emaciated. 

Percussion with the finger tips will call forth a dull sound as high 
up as the water goes, and above this a resonance that affords a marked 
contrast. 

This condition causes great weakness. If relief is not given, death 
must speedily ensue. 










,^>- 



HYDROTHOUAX, OR WATER IN THE CHEST CAVITY. 

This has been brouglit on by a bad attack of pleurisj-. 



Diseases of the lungs. 427 

Treatment. — When signs of pleurisy appear, it is sometimes pos- 
sible, by prompt treatment, to abort the disease. Give a dose of half 
an ounce of the tincture of opium in a pint of linseed oil ; this will re- 
lieve the pain and give ease in breathing. The legs should l)e band- 
aged, and the body warmly clothed. The Fever Mixture No. 45 should 
be given regularly, the intervals or quantity being diminished, of 
course, as the pulse gets slower. Blankets wrung out in hot or cold 
water may advantageously be bound around the chest, and covered 
with a blanket ; this will aid in reducing the fever, and relieving the 
pain. 

When convalescence approaches, the use of tonics will be of great 
benefit. Give a little whiskey in the drinking water, or, instead, any 
of the tonic powders. This should always be combined with a nour- 
ishing diet. 

Treatment of Hydrothorax, — For the removal of the fluid, various 
drugs are used. These are principally diuretics and laxatives, which, 
by increasing the action of the kidnej^s and bowels respectively, tend 
to deplete the accumulation. This treatment does not generally suffice, 
and then the tapping of the chest becomes necessary. The case 
is now an urgent — nay, a desperate — -one. Its grave character is suf- 
ficiently indicated b}^ the great difficulty of breathing. The necessary 
operation can be performed only by a thoroughly educated veteri- 
narian. The instruments required are a trocar and canula (see cut 
on page 354) and an ordinary knife. 

The place to tap is at the fifth, sixth or seventh rib, about eight 
inches from the junction of the rib with the breast bone. The skin is 
pulled forward, and a small cut made with the knife; then the trocar 
and canula is pushed in near the anterior edge of the rib. When the 
instrument reaches the cavit}'^, the trocar is withdrawn, and the fluid 
is allowed to escape through the canula, which remains in the open- 
ing, and serves as a spout. Care must be taken not to admit air into 
the chest. Among human patients it is customary to only withdraw 
a portion of the fluid ; but in the horse, from which we have removed 
as high as twenty quarts, it is best to leave no more than a quart or 
two. The sudden removal of such a large quantity of fluid is fre- 
quently followed by weakness and dizziness, requiring the prompt use 
of stimulants in large doses. After the operation, allow the patient 
perfect quiet, with a liberal, but simple and easily digested diet. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 
DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 



I. CONCERNING DISEASES OB" THE CIRCULATORY APPARATUS IN GENERAL. 

II. THE PULSE. III. TriE TEMPERATURE. IV. FOREIGN BODIES IN 

THE HEART. V. HYPERTROPHY (ENLARGEMENT) OF THE HEART. VI. 

ATROPHY OP TH1<: HEART. —VII. FATTY DEGENERATION OF THE HEART. 

VIII. DISEASES OF THE VALVES. IX. TUMORS IN THE HEART. X. RUP- 
TURE OF THE HEART. XI. INFLAMMATION OF THE PERICARDIUM, OR 

PERICARDITIS.. XII. ANEURISM. XIII. WOUNDS OF BLOOD-VESSELS. 

XIV. INFLAMMATION OF THE JUGULAR VEIN, OR PHLEBITIS. XV. THUaiPS, 

OR SPASM or THE DIAPHRAGM. 

I. Concerning Diseases of the Circulatory Apparatus in General. 

The heart and the blood-vessels — arteries and veins — furnish the 
various parts of the body with the blood essential for their nourish- 
ment, and equally essential for the carrying away of their effete or 
deleterious particles. The blood is sent to every extremity of the 




THE HEART AND ITS VESSELS. 



body by the extraordinary muscular contraction of the heart, whose 
incessant activity in health brings about its continuous purification. 
All this has been explained in detail in Chapter XII. 

Any weakness or disease of the central pumping organ, the heart, 
will naturally be a very serious matter; but, fortunately, this is not 

US 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 429 

frequent in the horse. When it does exist, it is seldom discovered 
until after a fatal termination, usuallj" of a sudden character. 

II. The Pulse. 

In the diagnosis of all diseases of an inflammatory nature, the 
state of the heart's action is of great importance, serving to indicate 
the extent of the irritation, and to determine the condition of the 
patient, whether strong and hearty, or weak and with the vital func- 
tions depressed. 

The pulse may be felt in any superficial vessel passing over a prom- 
inent bone. The most accessible place, and that to which the veteri- 
narian always gives the preference, is where the artery passes over 




KLOOD-VESSELS, ETC., OF THE HEAD. 

AVhere the artery passes over the edge of the lower jaw-bone is the pulse (at IF). 

the jaw-bone, in front of the masseter muscles, shown at IF in the 
accompanying illustration. 

The pulse varies greatly in character, as well as frequency, under 
different conditions. We, therefore, present a short resume of the 
different kinds of pulse, as this is a practical sort of knowledge that 
every farmer ought to familiarize himself with. We quote from Wil- 
liams, a standard authority, as follows: 

"The Quick Pulse. — This is due to the mode in which the ventri- 
cles of the heart contract, and always indicates irritation and little 
strength ; the heart makes a quick, short contraction, which differs 
much from the somewhat prolonged and more or less forcible con- 
traction of real energy and excitement. 



430 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HOESE BOOK. 

"The Slow OP Long Pulse. — This is the reverse of the preceding. 
It indicates a prolonged or slow contraction of the ventricles. 

"An Infrequent Pulse. — This kind of pulse is often associated 
with slowness, and indicates diseases of the brain, or a disordered 
condition of the digestive apparatus, and is often indicative of that 
condition of the system manifested by excessive urination (polyuria). 
In degenerative disease of the heart the pulse is often more infrequent 
than the cardiac contractions, because the impulse of the heart is too 
feeble to be transmitted to the arteries. 

"As to the Volume of the Pulse.— The volume of the pulse may 
be greater than usual, in which case it is said to be 'full' or 'large;' 
or it may be less than usual, when it is said to be 'small.' This 
may be associated with 'strength' or with 'feebleness' of the 
pulsations. It is important not to confound a full, feeble pulse with 
a full, strong one. The feeble pulse is known by the weakness of 
the impulse, and by the artery yielding to the finger. 

"The Feeble Pulse. — This, if associated with softness, the artery 
yielding readily to the finger, indicates debility, either general or 
cardiac [of the heart]. It is sometimes so weak as to give one the 
idea that the artery is filled Avith air ; hence, it has been called the 
'gaseous' pulse. It is not infrequent in an antemic condition of 
the body. 

"The Small Pulse. — This may result from antemia; from conges- 
tion of some important organ, as the lungs; from feeble contraction 
of the heart; or from great tonicity [abnormal strength or stimula- 
tion] of the arterial coats. 

"The Hard Pulse. — In this kind the artery resists pressure. It is 
often associated with smallness; it is then termed 'corded,' 'wiry' 
or 'thready.' This condition is often met with in the earlier stages 
of inflammatory disease, particularly during the rigor [premonitory 
chill] in dangerous inflammations of serous membranes, and espec- 
ially in endocarditis [inflammation of the membrane that lines the 
cavities of the heart, a very rare disease among horses]. 

"The Soft Pulse. — Of this kind of pulse several varieties are de- 
scribed. In the small, soft pulse, towards the close of progressive 
exhaustive diseases, the impulse of the heart is slight, the tension of 
the arteries diminished, and the volume of blood small. It is readily 
known by the feebleness of the impulse, and by the artery yielding 
readily to pressure. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 431 

"The Venous Pulse. — Pulsation of the veins is often seen in the 
juguhirs of the ox, especially during rumination, and seems to be 
quite compatible with health. In some forms of heart disease the 
jugular pulse becomes a diagnostic symptom. 

"Pulsations in Health. — In a healthy horse the pulse shows from 
thirty-five to forty-five beats per minute, varying ten beats, or per- 
haps a little more, according to the size, breeding, and work per- 
formed." 

III. The Temperature. 

This should always be considered in conjunction with the pulse, in 
estimating the amount of fever, and general state of the patient. The 
clinical thermometer, a small instrument with a scale registerino; 
from 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, may be had at almost any drug 
store, or at least ordered through it. In using it for the horse, the 
temperature is taken in the rectum, this being the most accessible 
place. In the mare the vagina maybe used, but will register slightly 
higher than in the rectum. 

The normal temperature of the healthy horse is from 99 to 101 de- 
grees, but this is subject to a slight variation in different animals, or 
the same animal at different times, especially from exercise, sexual 
excitement, digestion, etc. What the temperature is may be approx- 
imated very handily, by putting the finger under the tongue, practice 
at which method will greatly develop both the sensibility of the finger 
and accuracy of the judgment. In many cases of fever the ears and 
legs are hot, and within certain limits serve to indicate the charac- 
ter of the disease. 

A temperature of 104 or 105 degrees constitutes a high fever, and 
gives to the case a serious character, while a temperature of 109 
degrees must, as a rule, extinguish the hope of recovery. 

IV. Foreign Bodies in the Heart. 

The penetration of the heart by needles, pins, wire, etc., is of very 
rare occurrence in the horse, compared with the cow, these sub- 
stances being swallowed with the food, and passing from the stomach 
to the heart. 

The symptoms are very obscure, but, in general, may be said to re- 
semble those of pericarditis, a disease soon to be descril)ed. Moan- 
ing and sighing are likely to be noticed, and there may be irregular 
heart-sounds and the venous pulse. These cases must be considered 



432 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



natural. 



hopeless. In cows, needles have been known to work their way 
through the chest- walls and recovery to follow, but in these rare in- 
stances it could not be determined whether the heart was actually 
punctured or not. 

V. Hypertrophy (Enlargement) of the Heart. 

This condition is usually the result of some chronic pulmonary dis- 
ease, such as emphysema (see Section III of preceding chapter), or 
of some obstruction to the circulation of the blood. 

The symptoms are an increased force of the heart-beat, shortness of 
breath, and general incapacity for work. The treatment will be rest, 
and use of Heart Tonic No. 61. 

VI. Atrophy of the Heart. 

This is the opposite of hypertrophy ; the heart is smaller than 
It is most commonly seen in old subjects, often as a result 

of epizootic and blood diseases. 
Pressure of fat around the 
heart will sometimes produce it. 
The symptoms are weakness 
and debilitv, w^ith swelling of 
''^'7y|/, the legs and belly, perhaps to 
a considerable size. But the 
principal diagnostic sign is the 
character of the pulse — soft, 
weak and intermittent ; it may 
even intermit at the same time that the heart beats regularly. 

This trouble will, most likely, evade recognition until the postmor- 
tem; but if it is suspected, allow quiet and rest, and give No. 61. 

VII. Patty Degeneration of the Heart. 

This is usually found in old patients, or among animals which are 
over-fed and little worked. 

The symptoms are great weakness of the heart, and a falling off 
in condition, but in a majority of cases the animal falls dead without 
anything wrong having been suspected. 

VIII. Diseases of the Valves. 
The various valves of the heart may be diseased, most commonly 
those on the left side of it. When the mitral valve, that which guards 
the opening into the ventricle, is diseased, a bellows-like murmur is 




DROPSY FROM HEART DISEASE. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 433 

given forth with the first heart sound ; when the aortic valve, which 
prevents the backflow from the arteries into the heart, the bellows 
murmur is heard with the second sound. In both these cases there is 
usually a marked difficulty in breathing, dropsy of the legs, and the 
venous pulse. Occasionally the patient may even be attacked with 
blind staggers. 

The proper treatment is rest, and the following drench; 

No. 61. Tincture of digitalis, 2 ounces. 

Tincture of nux vomica, 3 ounces. 
Water, to make 1 pint. 

Mix. 

This is an approved heart tonic. Give a wineglassful three times 
a day. 

IX. Tumors in the Heart. 

Morbid growths are rarely found in the heart. Still, cases are on 
record in which a tumor was found attached to the side of the heart, 
or to the valves. In this position tumors are pretty certain to cause 
regurgitation of the blood, its flow back into the heart. They can 
never be diagnosed. 

X. Rupture of the Heart. 

A broken heart is no figure of speech, at least not when applied to 
some horses. This catastrophe in well-attested cases has occurred 
through some weakness of the walls of the heart, consequent on 
certain diseases, such as fatty degeneration, aneurism, etc. Death 
is instantaneous. 

XI. Inflammation of the Pericardium, or Pericarditis. 

The pericardium is the thin serous membrane which encloses the 
heart as in a sac ; it is continuous with the pleura that covers the 
lungs. It is liable to be inflamed from being punctured by foreign 
bodies, and from extension of inflammation from the lungs or the 
pleura. 

Symptoms. — As in heart troubles generally, the symptoms are not 
well defined. During the first or dry stage, by putting the ear to the 
loft side of the chest over the heart, there is heard a slight rubbing 
sound, corresponding in sequence to the heart's movements. Later, a 
similar condition to that of pleurisy comes on ; the effusion of a 
dropsical fluid commences, which, when large in quantity, interferes 
2S 



434 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



with the heart's movements. At this stage the sounds discovered on 
auscultation are very dull and of a sort of churning character. At 
the same time, the thermometer shows the presence of considerable 
fever; the respiratory movements are increased; and, frequently, the 
legs are cold. As the fluid is absorbed, the dry, rubbing sound is 
aoain heard. 

Treatment. — Provide a comfortable box and keep the patient per- 
fectly quiet. See that the diet is light and easily digested, and if 
the bowels are constipated give a pint of linseed oil. To control the 
fever, the pulse being strong, give No. 45. If the pain is great, ad- 
minister an ounce of tincture of opium, repeating with half this 
quantity every two hours while the pain lasts. When the fluid has 
formed, give No. 46. If any weakness becomes apparent, tone up 
the system with a little whiskey in the water, or diluted as a drench. 

XII. Aneurism. 

An aneurism is a rupture of one or more of the coats of a blood- 
vessel, so that bulging of its wall ensues, in consequence of the 
arterial pressure. 

Symptoms. — When superficially seated,' a soft lump is felt, that 
beats in time to the heart. If near the heart, the aneurism affects 
the heart beat, producing irregularity. When involving the chief 




'iiSi?Sil?S^^ 



VETERINAllIAN S KOKCEPS. 



artery of a leg, it may give rise to an obscure lameness, with notice- 
able coldness of the limb ; in the case of the hind legs, the tumor may 
frequently be felt through the rectum. When a rupture occurs 
through the gradual Aveakening and final giving way of the artery's 
wall, the aninud bleeds to death in a few moments. 

Treatment. — Aneurism of a large vessel situated internally cannot 
be treated. But a superficial vessel, not of the largest class, may be 
caught with forceps (a good style is shown in the cut) and tied above 
and below; the branching vessels will establish a colhiteral — as 
the books call it, a vicarious — circulation suflicient to supply the })art. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE HEART AND BLOOD-VESSELS. 



435 




TYING AN ARTEKY. 



XIII. Wounds of Blood-vessels. 

The local blood-vessels are always involved, of course, iu a wound 
of any part of the body. Whenever a vessel is cut straight across, the 
contraction of its coats prevents much bleeding, unless it is a large 
one, but Avhen in an oblique direction, 
the bleeding is generally free. 

To stop the flow of blood from a 
wound, the scientilic plan is to catch the 
bleeding vessel with the forceps, and tie 
it with a thread, as shown in the illus- 
tration. Hardly any farmer could be ex- 
pected to try this; so, his best recourse, 
ordinarily, will be to take a piece of cot- 
ton batting, soaked in some astringent 
solution, such as tincture of iron or of 
catechu, and pack it in the cut, and hold 
it there firmly with a bandage. Another convenient way to stop the 
bleeding is to tie a rope tightly around the part, a little above the 
wound. 

XIV. Inflammation of the Jugular Vein, or Phlebitis. 

In the days when bleeding was the cure-all for almost any disease 
a horse could exhibit, this was a common trouble. It has become 
much less frequent since the practice of bleeding fell into compar- 
ative disfavor. 

Causes. — As just intimated, phlebitis is usually the result of some 
bungling in bleeding, or from the use of dirty instruments, or from 
pinning some hairs in the opening of the wound. 

Symptoms. — The first signs are generally noticed very shortly 
after the bleeding. The tissues swell in the neighborhood of the cut 
in the vein, and the swelling soon extends upwards toward the head. 
The edges of the wound become red and are everted (turned inside 
out). Presently the vein is found to contain a hard clot. A little 
later, if this clot could be examined under a microscope, minute ves- 
sels would be discovered beginning to ramify through it; in other 
words, it is becoming "organized." This process of organization 
continues until the vein is obliterated, and shows simply as a fibrous 
cord. When the clot contains uidiealthy nuitter, pus forms, and next 
a number of abscesses along the neck. If the matter gains admission 
into the blood, a case of blood poisoning (pyaemia) will be estab- 
lished. 



436 



THE AMEEICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Treatment. — rimmediately after the swelling occurs, and before the 
clot forms, re-open the wound, and wash it out with the Antiseptic 
Solution No. 1, or No. 12. After the clot has formed, if any ab- 
scesses begin to appear, lance them immediately. Blister the entire 
length of the swelling with No. 11. For the fever that always ac- 
companies this as every other inflammatory disease, give No. 21, or 
No. 45. If the case becomes one of blood poisoning, treat it accord- 
ing to the directions given in the next chapter for pyeemia. 

XV. Thumps, or Spasm of the Diaphragm.. 

This is a peculiar affection of that great muscle of respiration, the 
diaphragm, separating the chest cavity from the intestines. Although 
not a disease of the heart, we introduce it here for the reason that it 
is almost universally believed to be so. 

Causes. — An attack of the thumps is most generally brought on by 
over-exertion ; yet it may be seen in connection with various other 
diseases, and with a disordered digestion. 

Symptoms — The symptoms are quite characteristic, being a pecu- 
liar, dull, thumping noise in the region of the belly, a sound which is 
sometimes said to be "like a hiccough." The pulse is small and 
weak. On careful observation, the thumps will 
be found to be entirely independent of the heart, 
proving conclusively that they have no connec- 
tion with the heart's action. 

Treatment. — Clothe warmly, and give the Pill 
No. 20, which can easily be done by using the 
balling iron. Next give a good dose of whiskey 
well diluted, and repeat this dose in a few hours 
BALLING IRON. if tlic symptouis continue. If the spasms arc 
Another form of the ball- found to be uucontrolhible by this treatment, 

ing iron is shown on page . ^^ o o 

367. give No. 3o. 




CHAPTER XXXV. 
DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 



I. BOILS. II. INFLUENZA, DISTEMPER, OR PINK-EYE. III. RHEUMATISM. 

IV. PURPURA HEMORRHAGICA. V. GLANDERS AND FARCY. VI. STRAN- 
GLES. VII. VARIOLA EQUINA, OR HORSE POX. VIII. RABIES, OR 

HYDROPHOBIA. IX. MELANOSIS, OR BLACK TUMORS. X. PYEMIA, OR 

BLOOD POISONING. XI. WEED OR THICK LEG (LYMPHANGITIS). 

I. Boils. 

Boils may make their appearance on any part of the bod}'- that is 
covered with skin. They are generally found in debilitated horses, 
or those kept in unhealthy stables ; yet the class of highly-fed ani- 
mals, regardless of their surroundings, are by no means strangers to 
them . 

What a Boil is. — A boil, whether on man or beast, is an inflamma- 
tion of the skin and the loose tissues beneath it. In a short time 
pus forms, and the abscess — for such it really is — is said to "point" 
on the surface. Up to this time, the pain by tension of the skin is 
of a throbbing character; but let 
the boil be opened, and the tension 
thus relieved, and the pain is relieved 
likewise. Our illustration shows a 
boil in section. After them after is 
discharged, tlie sore commences to 
heal and the cavity to fill, beginning i^i^^ram of boil (sectional view). 
at the bottom. It is a familiar fact, 

which many of our readers have doubtless learned by sore experience 
at some time or other, that in many cases one boil heals only to be 
followed by another, or perhaps many others in rapid succession. 

Treatment. — In the treatment of boils, the best method is to freely 
lance them, and this, even if the pointing has not occurred, as we 
may thus expect to, abort their formation. Ordinarily, no further 
treatment will be needed, further than simply to keep the wound 
clean. If, however, they show a slowness in healing, an occasional 
touching with lunar caustic will aid in the process. The general state 

437 




438 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 

of the health may also need attention. If there is evident debility, 
good food and any of the tonic powders prescribed in this work will 
be requisite. Cleanliness of the stable should likewise be seen to. 
II. Influenza, Distemper, or Pink-Eye. 

These are simply different names for one and the same disease. In 
its mild form, called distemper, it may be seen all the year round in 
horses fresh from the country, that have passed through infected city 
sales-stables. In the severer and epidemic form, it has been treated 
of in the writings of veterinarians from the thirteenth century down. 
Thousands of our readers will recall the wide-spread epidemic in Amer- 
ica of "epizootic," influenza, or pink-eye, in the winter of 1872 and 
1873. Occasionally an outbreak of the same disease still occurs in 
circumscribed localities, but for the most part yields to treatment 
readily. 

Causes. — The contagious nature of this disease is universally ac- 
knowledged. Yet the very mild form of distemper wdiicli the "green" 
horse contracts, does not seem to affect the seasoned veteran at his 
side. Certain depressed conditions of health, and unfavorable sur- 
roundings generally, are predisposing causes. The disease is w^ell 
known to affect the debilitated horse sooner than the health}^ one, and 
those kept in damp, poorly ventilated stables than those better housed 
and better cared for. When, however, it breaks out as an epidemic, 
old and young, well-kept and ill-kept, are all similarly affected, al- 
though some withstand the infectious influence longer than others, or 
succumb to it in less degree. 

Symptoms. — The first thing noticed is, generally, the loss of ap- 
petite, with, perhaps, a hacking cough, and, on examination, the horse 
will be found to be very feverish, and show signs of great thirst. In 
a little while follows a discharge of milky mucus from the nostrils 
and eyes, and a characteristic redness and swelling of their mem- 
branes. The legs and ears are cold, but the temperature ranges as 
hiffh as 103 to 105 degrees. Each day the disease increases in inten- 
sity; the discharge from the nose thickens, and is likely to take on a 
yellowish tinge; the cough is painful ; owing to the soreness of the 
throat, great difficulty is experienced in swallowing — so much so that, 
in many cases, the food is returned by the nose, giving to the mucus 
the color of the food. The pulse is feeble and rapid, running as 
high, probably, as eighty beats per minute. Flesh is lost very fast, 
and the head hano-s down, as shown in our illustration, wdiich does 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD, 



439 



not exaggerate tlie sufferer's woe-begone aspect in the least. If no 
complication arises, the disease runs its course, and convalescence 
begins, in about two weeks. The strength is rapidly regained, and 
often the animal lays on fat in a way that makes his owner wonder. 

The greatest danger in this disorder arises from possible complica- 
tions. In severe attacks, dropsical swellings are apt to appear on the 
chest, belly and legs. They are due to debilit}^ of the circulation, 
and, in themselves, are not an alarming symptom. Ordinarily, they 
call for no interference, as the effused fluid will be absorbed on the 
return of strength. 

Complications. — When, however, lung, intestinal, liver, or rheu- 
matic diseases develop in a "pink-eye" patient, the complication af- 
fords ground for great anxiety, as the death-rate under these circum- 




CATARRHAL FORM OF INFLUENZA (PINK-EYE). 



stances is tremendously increased, as compared with the original dis- 
ease alone. The treatment is sometimes a perplexing matter, but, as 
a rule, should be directed mainly to the disease last developed. 

Treatment. — The first element in the treatment of an uncompli- 
cated case, after attending to the sanitary condition of the surround- 
ings, will be to provide a healthy stable, away from other horses. 
Clothe warmly, if the weather is cold; supply good, easily digested 
food, as scalded bran or oats, gruel, milk, etc. Let the patient as- 
suage his excessive thirst whenever he wishes. To this end keej) 
continually in the stall a bucket of clear water in which an ounce of 
the chlorate of potash has been dissolved. If there is much cough- 
ing, poultice the throat with flaxseed or bran. For the fever very 



440 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 

small doses of No. 45 may be given, unless the pulse indicates great 
weakness, in which case substitute free doses of stimulants — brandy 
or whiskey, given in the water. Irregularities of the bowels may be 
corrected by a laxative diet, or a moderate dose of oil. If the eyes 
and nose are bathed with warm water, and the edges greased, the ef- 
fect often seems very grateful to the patient. Steaming the head, 
in manner as illustrated on page 412, is always of great benefit in 
soothing the cough, and aiding a free discharge through the nostrils. 
The dropsical swellings, as we have already explained, call for no 
special treatment. As convalescence begins, the Tonic Powders No. 19 
may be given, along with plenty of good food. 

As to the various complicative diseases, these will be found under 
their own headings, elsewhere in this work. 

III. Rheumatism. 

What is Rheumatism? — The peculiar inflammatory disease which 
principally affects the joints and tendons of various parts of the 
body, and to some extent the muscles also, is one of the most familiar 
forms of disablement and suffering in the human race and the do- 
mestic animals alike; and yet the precise origin of rheumatism has 
never been satisfactorily determined. A variety of different theories 
exist; that which has, perhaps, the most advocates is that it is due to 
the presence of lactic acid in the blood. 

Causes. — The predisjwsing causes are well known, — exposure to 
damp, to cold and winds. Rheumatism is a frequent accompaniment 
also of epizootic diseases, especiallj^ influenza, or pink-eye. 

The two well distinguished forms of rheumatism — "acute" and 
"chronic" — will best be described separatel}-. 

Symptoms of Acute Rheumatism. — An acute attack, in the gener- 
ality of cases, comes on suddenly, being manifested by lameness and 
pain, with or without swelling, in a joint, tendon or muscle, and 
usually of that one side. But the striking peculiarit}' of this disease is 
the manner in which it shifts from one part or organ to another. 
The pulse is tense and fast; the condition is feverish, the tempera- 
ture varying from 103 to 105 degrees. The bowels are usually costive. 

Symptoms of Chronic Rheumatism. — This form may either com- 
mence independently, or the acute form may degenerate into the 
chronic, in which the feverish condition disappears, the joints and 
bones are the parts mostly involved, and the trouble is more stationary. 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 



441 




SIDE-KOD. 



As a result of this disease, enlargement of the bones, from bony de- 
posits and ulceration of the articulations, are not uncommon. A 
frequent seat of ulceration is the navicular joint, producing navicular 
disease, or chest founder. In young animals 
deformities of the limbs are a sequel not un- 
common, nor is this unknown among older 
ones. In both man and beast, rheumatism 
is often an antecedent of heart diseases. 

Treatment. — Provide a comfortable box and 
clothe warmly. Give pill No. 18, and see 
that the diet is good in quality, and in nature 
easily digested. To neutralize the "poison" 
in the system give No. 23, or the following: 

No. 62. Salicylate of soda, 4)-^ ounces. 

Divide into 12 powders. 

Give one powder every four hours. 

If the local pain or swelling are great, 
give half ounce doses of the tincture of opium 
internally, and externally rub on Soothing '^^^ p^'^^^""^^ ^o^'^^ ^'■o"! *^i""g 

T • XT o 1111 ^ blistered part. 

Lotion No. 3, and then bandage. 

Locally, if an acute case shows no signs of abating, one of the 
strong blisters given in our "Eecapitulation of Remedies" should be 
thoroughly applied around the whole joint, and the side-rod or muzzle 
used to prevent the part from being bitten. In this way we may 
hope to prevent the case from becoming chronic. 

In the chronic form the same internal remedies are advisable. 
As with master so with horse, chronic rheumatism is not very amen- 
able to treatment, and results will often be discourae-inof, 

IV. Purpura Hemorrhagica. 

This is a peculiar ailment of a non-contagious character, oftener 
seen as a sequel to some debilitating disease than as a disease itself. 

Causes. — Veterinary authors are generally agreed that this ailment 
is of a septic (putrefactive) nature, from the absorption into the 
system of poisonous elements from unhealthy surroundings. Thus 
it is apt to develop late in the history of debilitating fevers, wher- 
ever the ventilation and drainage are bad; or, again, in healthy an- 
imals that are compelled to inhale the foul air of stables loaded down 
with that great product of decomposition, ammonia. 



442 



THE AMERICAN FARMER « HORSE BOOK. 



Symptoms. — These, whether it be a successor of some other dis- 
ease, or has its origin in filth, are uncertain. But among the first 
signs likely to attract attention will be a painful swelling of the legs, 
or a purple discoloration of the membranes of the nose or eye, or of 
the skin; this will be far the most noticeable in light-skinned horses. 
At the same time a sudden fever arises, the temperature going as 
high as 10(3 degrees, but showing daily fluctuations somewhat marked. 

As the disease progresses, the involved mucous membranes of the 
whole system exhibit signs of sympathetic action, A dirty-colored 
or bloody discharge streams from the nostrils, and in many cases a 
fetid, bloody diarrhoea is also present. The swellings of purpura 
involve the legs, lips and dependent parts of the body generally ; also 




PURPUKA HEMOKKHAGICA. 



the internal organs, as the lungs, liver and spleen, all of which be- 
come enlarged. The swellings are characteristic; they are not only 
tense and painful, but end abruptly at the upper side, looking "as 
though a cord had been tied around the part." Eventually, the swell- 
ings may crack at the flexures of the limbs, and a thin reddish, or 
distinctly bloody, discharge is established, and when the blood supply 
of these parts is interfered with, large patches may slough off. 
Swellings of the lips, face and tongue hinder the animal from seizing 
and masticating his food properly, and this hastens the wasting, or 
enuiciation, which is always so nuirked a feature of this disease, 
owing to the great anu)unt of tissue change. The extravasated blood 
in the tissues beneath the skin, or in the internal organs, may undergo 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 443 

decomposition, and be discharged in the one situation external!}^, or 
in the other into a cavity of the body, and, by being absorbed into the 
blood, may set up a case of pysemia, with the characteristic ab- 
scesses of that disease. 

Treatment. — The very first requisite is to change the animal to a 
healthy stable. Clothe well in cold weather; allow plenty of clean, 
cool drinking water, dissolving in everj^ bucketful dail}^ an ounce of 
the chlorate of potash. To prevent the swelling of the limbs, or to 
aid in its reduction, give the following drench : 

No. 63. Tincture of chloride of iron, i^ drachm. 

Linseed oil, 2 ounces. 

Mix. 

Give as one dose, and repeat it three times a day. Oatmeal gruel, 
linseed tea, or bran mash, will be the proper diet; if debility is a 
prominent symptom, a little whiskey should be mixed in the water. 

As convalescence approaches, good oats, hay, turnips, etc., should 
be given, along with any of the tonic recipes prescribed in this work. 
This stage of the disease is often very prolonged, the animal remain- 
ing thin and weak for many weeks. The owner will be fortunate in 
this disease if recovery attends his best efforts. 

Local Treatment. — This is not often called for. But occasionally 
the swelling around the head is so great as to interfere with the 
breathing, and then it must be bathed with hot or cold water, or even 
an astringent solution. The local swelling, in whatever part of the 
body, should never be opened, unless the presence of pus can be 
demonstrated; in that case it should be evacuated, and the sores 
dressed or syringed with antiseptics. If health only returns, nature 
will take care of the swellings; they will vanish through absorption. 

V. Glanders and Farcy. 

These are not two different diseases, as used to be believed, but 
two forms of one disease, affecting principally the horse, mule and 
donkey, and to which cows, sheep and fowls are not susceptible. In 
glanders the parts affected are the membranes of the nose, upper air 
passages and lungs, and the glands of the jaws ; while farcy affects 
the absorbent vessels of the system which are superficially situated 
around the body. Horses inoculated with the glanders poison in 
many cases develop farcy, and vice verso; and cases of glanders, 
towards the latter stages, generally include the sj^mptoms of farcy, 
and the case is the same as regards farcy turning to glanders. 



444 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Causes. — This belongs to the class of contagious and infectious 
diseases, being produced bj a very small germ, the bacillus mallei, 
which somewhat resembles the germ of consumption. This scourge 
is found accompanying such conditions as tend to lower the health, 
such as poor ventilation, bad drainage, uncleanliness, bad food and 
general neglect. For these reasons it is of frequent occurrence in 
places where horses are crowded together, in camps, railroad con- 
struction quarters, and other large collections. A horse may con- 
tract glanders, and have the poison lie dormant in his system until 
some depressed condition of the health appears favoring its growth, 
in the same way as is frequently seen in rabies, or hydrophobia; this 
is doubtless the reason why it was at one time supposed to be of 
spontaneous origin. After debilitating diseases, and in low conditions 
of the system generally, there is always a great susceptibility to the 
contraction of all sorts of infectious diseases. 

Symptoms of Glanders. — Usually the first sign of the disease is a 
swelling of the glands on one side of the lower jaw; these are painful, 
hard and knotty, but there is no tendency to suppurate. The pain 
gradually leaving, they remain enlarged. Closely following the 
swelling of the glands, there is a thin discharge from the nostril on 
the swollen side ; this will become yellowish in color and of a peculiar 
sticky feeling; it adheres around the nose in a crust, obstructing 
breathing. These signs may last for weeks or months before the 
next change appears; good care and feeding having a great influence 
in retarding the development of the malady, while hard work and 
ill-usage hasten the acute. stage. The mucous membrane of the nose 
will be noticed of a very red color, and small blisters form, which 
burst, forming an ulcer, with an excavated look and elevated red 
border. The discharge may now be tinged with blood. The ulcers 
are supposed to form in the air-spaces of the face, from there ex- 
tending to the nose, throat and lungs. The condition of the animal 
becomes distressing; there is weakness and emaciation, and the hair 
of the mane and tail is easily pulled out. Farcy is at last found 
affecting the limbs and bod}^ the animal presenting a pitiful sight. 
The breathing is of a snufliing sort from the collection of matter, 
which in some cases is so profuse as actually to cause suffocation. 

Horse owners sometimes undergo needless anxiety from nasal 
gleet, so closely resembling in appearance (though only in appear- 
ance) the early discharges of glanders. For the same reason genuine 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 445 

cases of the latter are sometimes regarded as innocuous, until they 
have done wide-spread mischief. There is a very simple test for 
distinguishing between nasal gleet and glanders. It is given under 
the former head in Chapter XV. 

Prevention. — In this disease it is emphatically true that "preven- 
tion is better than cure." Preventive treatment consists in keeping 
the stables clean and well ventilated, and in supporting and toning up 
debilitated animals. In suspected cases they should be isolated from 
the rest of the stock, and all brushes, buckets, combs, blankets, etc., 
used for them, should never be brought near the others. 

Treatment. — Treatment for the cure of glanders is not allowed in 
any of the States that we know of. The loathsome nature of the 
disease being so well known, and its ready communicability to man, 
it is manifestly best to destroy the animal as soon as the diagnosis is 
confirmed. 

Symptoms of Farcy. — Farcy generally commences with a slight 
fever, but the most noticeable thing is the swelling of the absorbent 
vessels just below the skin ; these are said to be corded, and at inter- 
vals will be seen little knots, corresponding to the small valves in the 
vessels. When the knots appear and the vessel is not corded, it is 
called button farcy. These buds, or buttons, ultimately break, form- 
ing ulcers of an unhealthy appearance, from which there is a dis- 
charge of offensive smelling, dirty yellow pus, having the same glue- 
like qualities as seen in glanders from the sores in the nostrils. In 
other cases the first signs are painful swellings of the legs, with the 
later development of the buds and ulcers. A chronic form of farcy 
is sometimes seen in which there are few ulcers, and it may be months 
before any further changes occur, but the final termination is in some 
form of glanders. 

Treatment of Farcy. — Mild cases have apparently been cured by 
using the hot iron on the ulcers, and biniodide of mercury ointment 
along the cords ; but the disease will invariably reappear as either 
glanders or farcy, although it may be latent for a period as long as 
even a few years. At the same time other horses are liable to con- 
tract the disease from the one apparently cured. 

VI. Strangles. 
This well-known disease is especially common among horses under 
seven years of age. The parts affected are the glands under the 



446 



THE AMERICAN FAEMER S HORSE BOOK. 



lower jaw. In the second or irregular form of strangles, the glands 
in the axilla (corresponding to the arm-pit in man), and the groin, 
and those among the internal organs, inflame and suppurate. 

Cause. — The true cause of strangles is a "micrococcus," a germ 
which is too minute to be visible to the unassisted eye, but is recog- 
nizable under the microscope by its staining the pus discharged. In- 
fection may occur through wounds, especially if they are in the mouth 
or interior of the throat. 

Symptoms. — The simple form commences as a common catarrhal 

cold, with cough and loss of ap- 
petite. Shortly ensues a swell- 
ing of the glands on one or both 
sides of the maxillary space (that 
between the two sides of the 
jaw), and this may, perhaps, ex- 
tend to the edges of the lips, 
giving the head a very ungainly 
appearance. There is a profuse 
discharire of whitish matter from 
the nose, which soon partakes of 
a purulent character. Owing to 
the greatly swollen condition of the parts, and at times from the ex- 
tension of the disease to the larynx, a roaring noise is made during 
respiration. In very severe cases the difficulty of breathing may even 
amount to a most distressing and eventually fatal strangling process, 
whence the name hy wdiicli the disease is knosvn. 

The irregular or bastard form of the disease generally takes a long 
time to develop; the animal will be noticed to be hide-bound, un- 
thrifty, and tucked up in the flanks. These signs, combined with an 
occasional cough and shivering on the slightest exposure to cold, are 
certain forerunners of the peculiar ailment we are considering. The 
glands between the jaws may swell, and when opened they discharge 
their contents, but, as soon as healed, another crop of swellings will 
l)c noticed in the same vicinity; and this may go on for weeks, or 
even months, until the c;Uinds the wdiole lenijth of the neck become 
involved. The glands in the axilla (arm-pit) and groin may like- 
Avise be affected. The formation of abscesses internally must be re- 
garded as very serious, as their rupture will end fatally. 




SIMPLE FORM OF STRANGLES. 




POULTICE FOR STRANGLES. 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 447 

Treatment of the Simple Form. — In this the treatment is very 
simple. To the swelling apply a flaxseed poultice, as shown in our 
illustration, and when pus is de- 
tected by the fluctuation in the 
swollen part, make a free open- 
ing low down in the swelling, 
thus assurino; good druinao:e. 
A laxative diet will be necessary. 

Treatment of the Bastard 
Form.^ — The treatment for the 
irregular or bastard form of 
strangles will be to give good, 
easily digested food, with tonics, promptly when the first unthrift- 
iness is noticed. Exposure to cold must be avoided. When the 
swellings develop, they should be opened as soon as ever pus is sus- 
pected, and the wound washed with an antiseptic solution, such as our 
No. 1, 12, or 13. 

VII. Variola Equina, or Horse Pox. 

This is a contagious eruptive fever, characterized by the appear- 
ance of pustules and scabs, on the limbs principally, but also at times 
affecting the face, nose and other parts. 

Causes. — This disease is caused by a specific virus bearing a close 
relation to the human small-pox. It frequently breaks out as an ep- 
idemic, especially in cities where epidemic small-pox is raging. In 
Montreal, two well marked outbreaks of it have occurred within a few 
years, simultaneously with the wide-spread ravages of small-pox 
among the inhabitants. 

Symptoms. — The attack is generally mild in character. A fever- 
ish condition is first noticed, with a swelling of the limbs or other 
parts; small lumps form at these parts, and seven to ten days later 
pustules, which discharge a yellowish watery liquid that produces 
scabs, and mats the hair together. These sores readily yield to treat- 
ment, and when the scab is removed the surface appears red and de- 
pressed. A cure may generally be effected in three weeks' time. 

Treatment. — Isolate the animal at once, to prevent the spread of 
the disease. All buckets, blankets, etc., must be kept separate, and 
only one man should be allowed to attend the patient, and he should 
not attend the other horses. He should be careful about sores oa 



448 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

his hands, or he may be innoculated with horse-pox. An easily di- 
gested diet will be required, and if the fever is excessive, some of the 
fever medicine that will be fomid among our recipes. The disease 
runs a regular course, and the only treatment called for is to support 
the patient's system while passing through it. Locally, hot fomen- 
tations may be used for the comfort they impart. To remove the 
scabs and promote the healing of the sores, apply a little of the fol- 
lowing with a brush or mop : 

No. 64. Sulphate of zinc, % ounce. 

Carbolic acid, % drachm. 
Glj^cerine, 3 ounces. 

Mix, and apply twice a day. 

If debility is marked after convalescence, give some of the tonics 
mentioned in the "Recapitulation of Remedies." 
VIII. Rabies, or Hydrophobia. 

This is a disease primarily affecting the canine race, but transmis- 
sible by innoculation to the horse and other domestic animals. 

Cause. — The germ of rabies is a specific virus in the froth of an 
affected dog's mouth, which gains an entrance into the system of 
the animal bitten through the circulation, and may j)roduce its effect 
almost immediately, or, on the other hand, may be dormant within 
the doomed creature for a long Avhile. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms in the horse are not characteristic. A 
wound may be found, or, instead, a thickening of the skin, with a 
scar, where a wound has healed. The first symptoms are nervous- 
ness, with pawing and stamping of the fore feet; these increase, and 
then a dangerous wickedness appears, the animal struggling and bit- 
ing at objects near, and if the attendants approach, they are attacked 
in a ferocious manner. The innoculated wound is often persistently 
bitten by the sufferer. In the latter stages, paral3'sis of the hind 
parts comes on, the forerunner of death, wdiich soon follows. 

Treatment. — When a wound is known to have occurred from the 
bite of a rabid animal, it should lie deeply cauterized with stick caus- 
tic, or a hot pointed iron, or else the entire wound cut out. Medica- 
tion has utterly failed in rabies. The method of innoculation intro- 
duced by Pasteur has proved a decided success on human patients, 
and innoculated animals have also completely resisted the disease, but 
the two great difficulties in making it available in veterinary practice 
are, first, to know that the specific wound has occurred, and next to 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 449 

procure inuoculation virus, Stiil, hydrophobia is so rare among horses 
that no farmer need lie awake of nights from worry over it. 

IX. Melanosis, or Black Tumors. 

This is a peculiar form of a black-colored tumor that most com- 
monly makes its appearance on old grey horses. The black pigment, 
when the veteran's hair begins to turn white, is deposited in the skin 
and internal organs, in round black masses, which increase in size and 
number, until, perhaps, considerable portions of the body are covered 
with them. Their usual seat is under the tail, around the anus and 
vagina, around the sheath or milk gland, and also frequently on the 
lips. By their size, they sometimes produce inconvenience in passini>- 
the dung, and from frictions during the animal's motion they may 
ulcerate and discharge. They often cause death by interference with 
the functions of some important internal organ. 

Treatment. — When the small lumps are first seen they may be cut 
out, and the raw spots treated as directed for wounds. But thej^ 
will most likely return in time — if not in the same spot, then in its 
vicinit3^ Old, large tumors imiy also be removed, but at that stage 
no great benefit can be expected. 

X. Pyaemia, or Blood Poisoning. 

This can scarcely be termed a disease ; it is rather a sequel to some 
purulent disease or wound, from the absorption of pus into the blood, 
thus poisoning the entire system. 

Symptoms. — These at first are not easily recognized. There is 
fever, but there has probably been fever all along. Later, however, 
the breath becomes very fetid, and in many cases a very foul smell- 
ing diarrhoea sets in. The animal loses flesh rapidly, and has a gen- 
eral haggard expression. Abscesses form in the internal organs, and 
often also in the glands underneath the skin. 

Treatment. — Not much can be done in the way of treatment. If 
any matter points near the surface, the abscess should be opened, 
and afterwards treated as an ordinary wound. In the human subject 
large doses of quinine are used, but our own experience shows no 
success from this treatment in veterinary practice. Stimulants of 
an}^ kind should be freely used to tone up the vital functions, and, of 
course, good healthy surroundings should always be maintained. 
XI. Weed or Thick Leg (Lymphangitis). 

This is a connnon disease known also as "big leg," or sometimes 

"Mondav morning disease." 
29 



450 



THE AMERICAN FARjMEK S HORSro P.OOTv. 




LYMPHANGITIS, Oil BIG LEG. 



Causes. — Too high feeding and too little work, under which con- 
ditions the blood is overloaded with nutriment, and inflammation of 
the lymphatic vessels is induced. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms may appear suddenly, but oftener 

after a period of rest, especially 
on Monday morning. It or- 
dinarily commences with a shiv- 
ering fit, to which there soon 
succeeds a hot stage; the ani- 
mal remains feverish, and the 
pulse is hard and strong. A 
swelling may presently be no- 
ticed in the groin of the hind 
leg, and sometimes in the axilla 
(arm-pit) of the fore leg. It 
is painful and hard; the vessels leading from it down the leg are 
corded and sore ; and in time the whole leg will be found uniformly 

enlarged, hot and painful. By proper 
treatment the pain leaves the swelling, 
which gradually subsides. Occasionally 
the leg remains permanentlj^, though 
but slightly, enlarged. 

The peculiarity of this disease is its 
tendency to recur, each recurrence be- 
ing liable to leave the leg larger than the 
previous one did. In the great majority 
of subjects the hind legs are the only 
ones affected, though the fore legs are 
liable to be involved also. Our illustra- 
tion shows a case in which the swelling 
has attacked the head. 

Treatment. — In the commencement of 
this tr()ul)le give Pill No. 18, to relieve 
the bowels, and change the feed to a lax- 
LYMPHANGiTis OF THE HEAD, ativc dict — brauuiash. If shivering con- 
tinues, give a few doses of some stinudant. 
When the hot stage is reached, allow 
plenty of water and give No. 4;"), The kidneys should be encour- 
aged to vio^orous action, in order to deplete the svst(Mn down to a 
state of health. No. 2G will be the medicine for this purpose. 




Engraved for this work from a 
Photograph. 



DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 451 

Locally, when the swellings appear, bathing the leg with hot 
water will encourage the swelling, and this in its turn give relief to 
the pain. Bandages will promote the patient's comfort. The 
Soothing Lotion No. 3 is often used with great benefit. After the 
pain has left the leg, moderate exercise will materially hasten the 
dispersion of the swelling, and should be given twice a day if pos- 
sible. 

In the chronic thick leg^ all forms of treatment have been tried 
without avail; a permanent tissue has been introduced, which it is 
impossible to remove. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 
DISEASES OP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



I. HEAD STAGGERS, STOMACH STAGGERS, OR BRAIN FEVER. II. SLEEPY STAG- 

GEKS, TUMOKS IN THE BRAIN, ETC. III. PARALYSIS, OR PALSY. IV. 

PARALYSIS OF THE LIPS AND TONGUE. V. SPRING-HALT, OR STRING-HALT. 

VI. TETANUS, OR LOCK-JAW. 

I. Head Staggers, Stomach Staggers, or Brain Fever. 

This is not a very common disease, though occasionally it will 
appear in a neighborhood as an epidemic. 

Causes. — As to this there is great difference of opinion, but the 
preponderance of authority attributes it to the quality of the food. 
When too dry, fibrous and indigestible, the over-loaded stomach be- 
comes inflamed, and then, by sympathy, the brain and spinal cord, 
with their coverings. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms of this disease are not uniform; but 
most generally it comes on with dullness and drowsiness. Later 

these give way to more violent 
manifestations, in which convul- 
sions are prominent. No one who 
has ever seen a horse thus affected 
— the muscles of the whole body 
convulsed, the tail erect and head 
extended — will need any descrip- 
tion. The violent stage is usually 
succeeded by great weakness. If 
not already lying down, the patient 
will fall; now the struggles may 
recur, and the succeeding exhaus- 
tion advances rapidly, death en- 
suing shortly. At every stage after the first, great nervousness is 
shown on tlie slightest noise, or the approach of any one. In many 
instances the animal goes to sleep with his mouth full of hay; or, 
when at pasture and smitten with the ])lindness characteristic of this 

452 




THE CONVULSIONS OF MAD STAGGERS 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



453 



malady, he will walk right up to any obstacle in his way, press his 
head against it, and paddle with his feet until utterly exhausted. 

Treatment. — Perfect cjuiet, away from other horses, is essential. 
A good purgative, such as our No. 18, will be of benefit, to relieve the 
bowels; if this does not act in twenty-four hours, repeat the dose. 
In the beginning of the attack, when the pulse is strong, bleeding 
may be resorted to with advantage, to the amount of from four to 
six quarts. If the convulsions are severe, g'ive No. 33. 

When convalescence is well forward, it may be necessary to apply 
blisters to the poll, or along the spine, to aid in removing any in- 
flammatory products remaining around the nervous substance. In a 
mild type of this disease, recovery is very frequent, but the chances 
become much less when the convulsions are severe. 

II. Sleepy Staggers, Tumors in the Brain, Etc. 

The condition known as sleepy staggers is caused by tumors of 
various kind on or in the brain, or by 
some disease of the brain substance. 

Symptoms. — Tumors in the brain 
sometimes attain a large size before 
causing noticeable inconvenience, but 
giving rise at length to convulsions, 
staggering, etc. In many cases the 
animal is only drowsy and sleepy; 
he will hold the hay in the mouth 
while he dozes, as shown in our 
illustration. If suddenly disturbed, 
he is very likely to tremble as if greatly frightened, and pull back on 
the halter. His every action shows he is not himself. 

Treatment. — When due to a tumor, very little can be done ; the 
symptoms will grow steadily worse as the tumor increases in size. 
The pill No. 18 may be given in connection with an easily digested 
diet. The place where stabled should be kept dark, and as quiet as 
possible. Palliative treatment is all that can be attempted. 

III. Paralysis, or Palsy. 

Paralysis may be complete or partial, and even in the latter case is 
to be regarded as serious, though some of such cases will respond to 
treatment. 

Causes. — Various diseases, constipation, worms, grass staggers, 
azoturia, etc.; also fracture of the s[)ine from c\tcri(M' violence, the 




SLEEPY STAGGERS. 



454 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



broken bones pressing upon the spinal cord, and in that way pro- 
ducing pural^^sis. 

Symptoms. — When resulting from disease, the paralysis is rather 
likely to be general; yet in many cases the hind legs only are 
affected, the animal being able to stand on his front legs all right, 
while the hind parts are useless. When due to an injury, the symp- 
toms will vary according to where the injury is located. If it is 
below the middle of the neck and above the withers, there is palsy of 
the parts posterior to this. This rule, in fact, holds good for the 
rest of the spinal column — the parts paralysed will be those posterior 
to (back of) the seat of the injury. 

Treatment — When due to some other ascertained disease, treat 
according to the directions given for that particular disease, whatever 
it be. When brought on by some injury, if the animal is valuable 

and the hurt not too severe, treatment may 
be undertaken ; but it is well to bear in mind 
that these can never be very hopeful sub- 
jects. Place the animal in a sling, to keep 
the ends of the broken bones in apposition 
while uniting. Regulate the bowels care- 
fully, and be sure not to overfeed. 

IV. Paralysis of the Lips and Tongue. 

Paralysis of the lips, and especially of the 
lower one, is much more common among 
horses than is generally understood. It 
gives to the sufferer 'an awkward, foolish 
look, besides the inconvenience in eating 
and drinking. 

Causes. — Usually, some injury to the fa- 
cial nerve at the point where it finds its 
exit from the cranium, below the ear. A 
Engraved for this work from a bridle, halter, ropc, or cveu an abscess of 
10 ogiapi. ^j^^ neighboring glands may be the injurious 

object. Horses that have the bad habit of pulling back are partic- 
ularly prone to this trouble. Occasionally, as it comes with some 
disease of the bi-ain, so it will go with it. 

Symptoms. — When the paralysis is one-sided, the lip is pendulous, 
and the membrane is exposed. The tongue is fr(M|U(Mitly included in 
lli(> injur\% and, when prolrudecl, is seen lo be di-awn toward the 




RIGHT-SIDED PARALYSIS OF 
LOWER LIP AND TONGUE. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



455 



healthy side, the same as the lip. This is well depicted in the en- 
graving, where the right side is paralysed, and lip and tongue are 
drawn to the left. 

Drinking is not always easily accomplished ; naturally the lips are 
a great aid in suction, but now the water will dribble out of the 
mouth. Eating is likewise greatly interfered with. Many animals 
in this condition, being unable to seize or gather the food with the 
lips, will make use of the teeth to accomplish this feat. 

In complete paralysis of the lip it hangs down, and all control over 
its movement is lost. When the animal is in motion, it wags up and 
down. When the tongue is involved, in a bad case like this, it will 
be almost useless for eating; hence a not infrequent result is an ema- 
ciated condition of the whole 
body. Still, except as thus 
weakened, perhaps the animal 
is not at all incapacitated for 
work. 

The upper lips are not as 
frequently paralysed as the 
lower. Possibly, however, 
they are paralysed sometimes 
without its being suspected, 
as the lips, although destitute 
of sensation, still hang against 
the teeth in the natural posi- 
tion. If the horse is suffer- 
ing from general paralysis of 
one side, even the upper lip will be drawn slightly toward the 
healthy side. 

Treatment. — On the first appearance of any drooping of the lip, 
examine the bridles, halters, etc., and remove the pressure from the 
parts around the ears. If due to any disease of the glands — for 
example, distemper or strangles — treat such disease promptly and 
vigorously. At the beginning of this trouble, hot fomentations 
along the side of the face up to the ear, opposite the upper row of 
molar teeth, is generally advisable. The Soothing Lotion No. 3 
may afterwards be rubbed on, to relieve any irritation. 

In case this treatment fails to relieve within a week or ten days, the 
use of Blister No. 10, or No. 11, along the course of the nerve (de- 
scribed al)ove) will be neccssAi-y. If a galvanic battery can be pro- 




PABALYSIS OF BOTH SIDES OF LOWER LIP. 

Engraved for this work from a Photograph. 



456 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

cured, let it be used faithfully — one pole placed below the ear, and the 

other at the angle of the mouth. This must be tried twice a day, 

for at least ten days, before any observable benefit can be expected. 

Generally this is a very valuable adjunct to the treatment. In certain 

cases there is a tumor or bony growth, and these will resist treatment 

of any kind. 

V. Spring-halt, or String-halt. 

This is a very common, nervous disease among horses, that usually 
affects one hind leg only. In the human subject and in dogs, the 
same ailment is apt to involve the whole nervous system, producing the 
incessant twitching of the livnbs and muscles of the body which is 
familiarly known as St. Vitus's dance. 

Causes. — Precisely what causes this strange disorder is not cer- 
tainly known ; but, besides its common association with other diseases, 
it is sometimes found in connection with tumors, pressing on the 
nerves reaching to the affected part. 

Symptoms. — Occasionally, a horse is seen with spring-halt in both 
the hind legs, and instances have not been wanting of a horse with 
one, or even both, of the front legs thus affected. The movement 
of the limb in spring-halt is peculiar and characteristic. While 
standing, nothing will be noticed amiss with the horse, but put him in 
motion, and the leg will be raised with a spasmodic jerk, nearly 
always to a point higher than natural, and in very severe cases 
actually touching the belly. Unlike some forms of lameness that 
wear off with exercise, spring-halt is continuous. As a rule, how- 
ever, it does not incapacitate the animal for service. It is unsightlj^ 
always, but for draught purposes it hardly ever impairs his working 
power at all. 

Treatment. — This is very unsatisfactory in its results. When asso- 
ciated with some form of disease, spring-halt, in most cases, gradually 
disappears after such other disease is cured. 'N'arious formidable 
operations have been devised, and advocated with a great flourish of 
trumpets; but reliable, permanent success has eluded them all. In 
those exceptional cases where a tumor is discovered pressing on the 
nerve, its removal will generally effect a cure. 

VI. Tetanus, or Lock-jaw. 
Cause. — Tetanus, as has been ascertaiiuMl by late researches, is due 
to the small tetanus bacillus, Avliich gains entrance to the system, 
usually through some cut or a nail wound of the skin or hoof, or 
occasionally through abrasions of the digestive tract. 



DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, 



457 




TETANUS, OR LOCK-JAW. 



Symptoms. — Ordinarily these do not develop until the wound is 
nearly healed ; in many kinds of nail wounds of the feet they will not 
appear for several weeks. 
The first sign, in many in- 
stances, is a stiffness of 
movement when working, 
with difiiculty in turning 
around. This is followed 
by the characteristic set- 
ting, or locking, of the 
jaws, though in special 
cases the jaws may be 
slightly opened, or may 
even not be affected at 
all, the animal being able 

to eat during the whole course of the disease. The muscles of the 
whole body become rigid, and from being so drawn, their outline is 

abnormally distinct ; the neck is extended ; 

the tail elevated, and moving up and 

down, perhaps, like a pump handle ; the 

: belly is greatly tucked up ; and a deep 

"" furrow is traced from the elbow to the 

5. joint of the hip. When the jaws are 

locked, the horse keeps them in motion 

with a grating sound, and the mouth is 

full of ropy saliva that dribbles away 

incessantly. 

The eye presents important symptoms in the early stages of the 

disease. It has a gloomy, sunken look; but, more particularly, the 

haw partly covers the front, or if the animal be suddenly frightened 

it will be protruded, as shown in the illustration. 

Treatment. — This is not successful in more than two out of a hun- 
dred cases. The essentials are quiet and good nursing. If drinking 
is possible, give plenty of nourishing gruels. If the patient lives be- 
yond the ninth day, and the symptoms are not very severe, he will 
have a chance of recovery. In this stage the slings are very useful, 
to relieve the weight of the body. Medicines of all imaginable sorts 
have been tried, but without success. The treatment most advisable 
will be to poultice the wound regularly once a day (if it is still open), 
and attend to the ofeneral wants. 




THE EYE IN LOCK-JAW. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 
DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 



I. TORN EYELIDS. II. WARTS ON THE EYELIDS. III. ENTROPIUM, OR 

TURNING IN OP THE EYELASHES. IV. ECTROPIUM, OR TURNING OUTWARD 

OP THE EYELASHES. V. FILARIA OCULI. VI. STAPHYLOMA, OR BULG- 
ING OP THE CORNEA. VII. GLASS EYE, OR AMAUROSIS. VIII. INFLAM- 
MATION OP THE CONJUNCTIVA, OR CONJUNCTIVITIS. IX. MOON BLIND- 
NESS, OR PERIODIC OPHTHALMIA. X. CATARACT. XI. EXAMINATION 

OF THE EYE. XII. DISEASES OF THE EAR. 

I. Torn Eyelids. 

The eyelids, by catching on hooks, nails, etc., are liable to be cut 
or torn. When this happens, wash the dirt off and sew the edges to- 
gether with a silk thread, as described in the chapter on Wounds. 
On no account whatever should the torn piece be cut off, as the lid 
protects the eye from the entrance of dust, etc., and must be pre- 
served intact ; and, besides, it is surprising how 
readily union will be effected in this part, even 
when the conditions seem desperate. The eye 
bandage may be used, and the Lotion No. 12, 
weakened by adding one-third its quantit}^ of 

water. 

II. Warts on the Eyelids. 

Warts are often seen on the edges of the eye- 
lids among horses. When pedunculated in form, 
they may be readily removed by t^ing a silk 
thread tightly around their base, and, if desired, 
The upper lashes are the top clipped off . To rcmovc the more diffused 

here turned inwards. rj , /• i_ ^ •J.^ i. j.- • t i j_ -^ 

flat form toucii with strong acetic acid; but it 
requires a steadv hand and great care to prevent injury to the eye. 
III. Entropium, or Turning in of the Eyelashes. 
This condition is orcasioiially seen among horses, but more often 
among dogs. When the ej'elashes of either the upper or lower lid 
project in against the cornea, the tirst result is conjunctivitis, and 
if this is long continued, the disease becomes chronic; the eye sur- 
face is thickened and opaque, and in extreme cases it becomes drv. 

4:) 8 




ENTROPIUM. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 459 

Treatment. — This consists in cutting an elliptical piece of skin out 
of the eyelid, close to its margin, but allowing sufficient room to in- 
sert a few stitches to draw the edo-es together. Healino; will occur 
without much trouble. If there is a disposition to rub the eye on 
surrounding objects, put on the eye bandage. 

IV. Ectropium, or Turning Outward, of the Eyelashes. 

This is the exact reverse of the preceding condition. In the horse 
it is very rare. The eyelid being everted allows the entrance of dirt 
into the eye, and inflammation results, with similar consequences as 
in a case of entropium. 

Treatment. — Make a cut in the skin of the deformed lid and 

stretch it. At the same time carefully apply a little lunar caustic to 

the inside of the membrane, repeating this at intervals of four or five 

days. 

V. Pilaria Oculi. 

This in America is an exceedingly rare disease, due to the presence 
of a small worm varying from one-eighth to one- 
sixteenth of an inch long, which has somehow found 
its way through the circulation into the humors of 
the eye. In India, British veterinarians meet with 
it often. Irritation of the eye, weeping, dimness of 
vision, and ultimately a cataract, form an outline 
sketch of its history. 

Treatment. — This consists in casting, turning the 
horse on his back, and carefully puncturing the 
cornea at the top, and allowing the fluid, and with it bulging of the 
the worm to escape. The fluid will be again secreted, 
and if the puncture has been carefully done, no harm ensues. 
VI. Staphyloma, or Bulging of the Cornea. 

This, while rarely affecting the horse, is a common trouble among 
dogs. The cornea becomes milky, and bulges outward like a tumor 
in appearance ; it even projects beyond the eyelids. 

Treatment. — This Avill consist in the frequent and cautious touch- 
ing of the protrusion with nitrate of silver (lunar caustic), at inter- 
vals of sufficient length (several days) to allow the scar to drop off 
before repeating the application. In many cases, when the tumor is 
solid, a needle may be passed through the bulging pnrt, which is then 
carefully cut off with a knife, the base being afterwards touched with 
lunar caustic. 




460 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 




AMAUROSIS, OR GLASS EYE. 



VII. Glass Eye, or Amaurosis. 
This is a diseased condition of the optic nerve, the one which con- 
nects the eye with the brain, and transmits the reflection of external 
objects. It is seen in connection with several different diseases, and 
from the excessive use of various poisons. 

Symptoms. — The prominent symptom is a glassy stare. The pupil 
is widely dilated, and so remains, whether in the sunlight or in a dark 

stable. When both ej^es are affected, 
which is usually the case, the horse 
keeps his ears in continual mo- 
tion, and steps in a peculiar way. 
Standing at his head, if one finger 
is slowly advanced towards the eye, 
without causing any stir in the air, 
the cornea may actually be touched 
without causing the animal to wink. 



Treatment. — Treat the other dis- 
ease, if any such is at the root of 
this trouble. When proceeding 
from disease of the optic nerve, cure is impossible. 

VIII. Inflammation of the Conjunctiva, or Conjunctivitis. 

The conjunctiva is the thin, delicate membrane, lining the inside 
of the eyelids and the front of the eye. It is very liable to disease, 
as well as to injury from accidents, from being struck b}'- a whip or 
stick, or from hayseeds getting under the eyelid. It is a frequent 
concomitant also of catarrh, pink-eye, etc. 

Symptoms. — First a slight weeping, with an intolerance of light, 
so that the eye is kept partially closed. As the inflammation in- 
creases, the eyelid is puffed and swollen, and the watery discharge 
becomes thick, and changes to a white or yellow color. If the eye- 
lids are parted, the inside of the lids will be found to be swollen, and 
of a bright pink hue, with occasional streaks of red over the surface. 
The clear part of the eye — the cornea — is now dull looking, and later 
has a bluish scum on it; this, when the inflammation follows some 
injury, will frequently focus around one particular point. As re- 
covery comes on, the swelling diminishes, and the bluish color dis- 
appears through absorption; but when the trouble has arisen from an 
accident, there will at times remain a small, white speck at some par- 
ticular spot. 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 461 

Treatment. — Provide a dark stall to keep the patient in. Change 
the diet to a laxative one. Should the disease have developed in 
connection with some other, treat both conditions. If it is suspected 
that hayseed is in the eye, use the eye 
opener, and make a thorough examination. 

To relieve the inflamed condition, use the M ^ /'^li/llfflllSto 

following eye drops : 




THE EYE BANDAGE. 



No. 65. Salphate of atropine, 4 grains. 

Pure water, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 

Put a dozen drops in the eye two or three 
times a day, with a feather or medicine 
dropper. 

Place a piece of sponge, soaked in the Lotion No. 53, made up with 
water instead of oil, over the eye, and apply the eye bandage. No 
caustics should, on any account, be used on the eye. Only a thor- 
oughly skilled veterinarian should attempt such treatment for any 
eye disease. 

IX. Moon Blindness, or Periodic Ophthalmia. 

This trouble is not nearly so prevalent now as it was fifty or seventy- 
five years ago, owing to the same circumstances which have so bene- 
ficially affected many other diseases of the horse, namel}^ the great 
improvement in stable construction and stable management. 

Causes. — The predominant cause is to be found in the stable being 
too dark and badly ventilated, and, perhaps, filthy besides ; or at least 
these conditions are great predisposers to ophthalmia. The disease 
is very common likewise in districts where the geological formation 
is of white rocks ; this color, by straining the eye, produces an in- 
flammatory condition. Hereditary weakness of the eye must also be 
taken into the account, although there is a difference of opinion as 
to the advisability of breeding from an animal affected with moon 
blindness. Our own observation has been that the foal of such a 
parent is extremely liable to become similarly afflicted, in the course 
of a few years at farthest. 

Symptoms. — The first signs resemble those of conjunctivitis. 
There is a painful susceptibility to light, and a swelling of the eye- 
lids of only one eye; tears run over the face; a cloudiness of the 
eye is also prominent, and as this clears off, the color of the huinor is 



462 THE Ajmerican farmer s itorsk book. 

found to be of a dirty amber. The eye looks smaller than the op- 
posite, on account of the muscles retracting it inward from the pain- 
ful light. Occasionally a highly feverish state is seen. 

In about a week the inflammation subsides, the eye generally as- 
suming its natural appearance. But in the course of a month or six 
weeks, the same process has again to be gone through with. Though 
the eye may, perhaps, have successfully resisted the first attack, so 
far as permanent change is concerned, the second is almost certain to 
leave its mark ; the eye will not clear up so soon as before, the lens 
will exhibit a few spots of white lymph on its surface, readily visible 
through the pupil, and some of these may float in the humor. How- 
ever, these spots are not always to be detected by the naked eye. 

The frequent recurrence of the inflammation, and the concomitant 
deposits of the white lymph on the lens through which the light has 
to pass, will gradually so affect the organ as to prevent any light from 
passing. By this time, the condition of cataract has become estab- 
lished, which, in the horse, means irremediable blindness in this eye. 
But the disease does not stop here ; it usually turns its attention to 
the eye that has hitherto been healthy, and in a varied length of time 
it, too, succumbs, through the same process as its fellow. All de- 
grees of moon blindness are encountered by the veterinarian from 
very partial to complete blindness. Cataract, in which it terminates, 
will be treated of in the next section. 

Treaiment. — In the early stages, give Pill No. 20, and place the 
animal on an easily digestible diet: If the stable is too dark, put in 
more window^s, not forgetting to attend carefully to the stalls, re- 
moving all excretions, and sprinkling plentifully with chloride of 
lime. If a highly feverish state exists, give the Fever Medicine No. 
21, or No. 22, until it is allayed. 

The local treatment will consist in protecting the eye from the 
light by the eye bandage, shown on page 461. Eeduce the inflam- 
mation with the Eye Drops No. Gd ; after using them, place a wet 
sponge over the eye, as directed for conjunctivitis. When a cataract 
is discovered coming on, treat as directed for that affection. 

X. Cataract. 

This is the sequel of moon blindness, just described. The changes 
in the structure of the eye have now become permanent, and from 




DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 463 

this defect, many valuable aniiiials are rendered comparatively worth- 
less. It is, however, one that can be most readily detected. 

Symptoms. — A cataract is usually of gradual formation. At first 
only one or two tiny white specks may be seen back of the pupil, on 
the lens. By a recurrence of the orig- 
inal disease, this condition extends un- 
til the whole pupil is covered, when it is ^ 
seen as a pearly white formation com- 
pletely filling the pupil, thus shutting 
out all light. Many other changes may 
also be seen ; the pupil becomes very 
irregular in form, or its beautifully col- 
ored iris, or curtain, may either bulge complete cataract. 
forward, or be retracted. The finger, if cautiously advanced, may be 
placed upon the cornea without causing Avinking — the eye is stone 
blind. The effect of cataract in producing blindness is varied ac- 
cording to the disposition of the animal. Usually the ears are kept 
continually in motion, and in locomotion the feet are lifted high 
from the ground. Many horses in this condition are inveterate 
"shyers." 

Treatment. — If the sight is completely lost, treatment would only 
be a loss of time and money. But when the cataract is only devel- 
oping as yet, the hope of success, Avhile not great, is sufficient to war- 
rant the owner in doing his best to save the horse's sight. In case 
of irritability of the eye, use the Eye Drops No. 65. The removal 
of the formation on the lens is to be effected, if at all, by constitu- 
tional treatment. Accordingh^, use No. 46, and use it perseveringl3^ 
Success need not be expected immediately, but only after two or three 
weeks' time ; if any benefit is to result, it will certainly be shown within 
three weeks at furthest. 

In the human subject the somewhat formidable operation termed 
couching is performed for the removal of the diseased lens, but it is 
surrounded by serious additional difficulties in the horse. The ad- 
ministration of chloroform is absolutely necessary-, to prevent the 
haw of the eye from getting in the way. The q\g opener is also re- 
quired to keep the eye open. Only certain subjects should be operated 
upon at all ; a vicious or nervous animal, in consequence of the imper- 
fect vision which is the best result to l)e hoped for, would he likely 
to prove a "shyer," if not a runawa}'. It is cstinuited that the 



464 THE AMERICAN FAHMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

amount of vi.siou possible in a successful operation for cataract is 

never more than one-eighth of the natural. 

Another method of operating on a developing cataract, is to insert 

a needle into the upper part of the cornea, and gently prick the lens 

in a half dozen places. Chloroform is absolutely necessary in this 

case also. 

XI. Examination of the Eye. 

The importance of a thorough examination of the eye cannot be 
overestimated in passing upon the soundness of a horse. The in- 
spection will comprise, first, a comparison of the two .sides as to size, 
color and position ; second, an examination of the cornea, the haw 
and the aqueous humor immediately behind; and, lastly, a searching 
scrutiny as to the transparency of the lens, and the structures pos- 
terior to it. 

The cornea and the aqueous humor should be clear, and allow the 
iris, or curtain, and the pupil to be plainly visible. The haw should 
be of a delicate pink hue, and not in a prominent position. It maj^ 
be brought into view by placing the thumb and fore-finger, one on each 
eyelid, and then drawing the lower lid down, at the same time pushing 
the upper lid upward and inward. By thus pressing on the eyeball, the 
haw is forced partly over the front of the organ. (It is always well 
to know how to do this, for in this way any speck of dust, hay, oat 
chaff, etc., is readily brought to view.) 

The transparency of the lens may be tested in a moderate degree 
by varjdng the intensity of the light. Take the animal into a dark 
stable, and notice the condition of the pupil; then into a strong light, 
and see if it dilates. Or simply use the hand to cover the eye for 
a half minute, and on suddenly withdrawing it, notice carefullv the 
succeeding dilatation. The use of reflections is also an important 
test. Where a lighted candle is used in a dark stall, in the normal 
eye there will be three reflections, one from the cornea, one from 
the lens, and an inverted one from the retina at the back of the eye. 
If any of these reflections arc wanting, it indicates disease of the 
organ. 

There is a complicated instrument greatly used by oculists for ex- 
aminingthe internal structures of the hunuin eye, which is also very use- 
ful to the veterinary oculist. It is on the plan of a snuill round mir- 



DISEASES, ETC., OF THE EYE AND EAR. 



465 



ror to reflect a light from behind the subject into the eye. 
ical examination this is of great importance. 

The Eye Opener. — In any exam- 
ination whatever of the horse's eye, 
the little instrument called the eye 
opener, and well shown in our illus- 
tration, is invaluable. This can best 
be appreciated after trying to ex- 
amine without it, the great ob- 
stacle being the protrusion of the 
haw from the inner side. 



In a crit- 




THE EYE OPENER. 



XII. Diseases of the Ear. 
Diseases of the ear are so rare 
among horses that we will not bur- 
den the reader with a description of them. The fact is that very 
few horsemen ever think of looking in the ear, and would be none 
the wiser if they did. 

An eczematous condition (resembling a breaking out) of the car- 
tilage and around the base of the ear, is often seen from the rubbing 

of bridles, halters, or the twitch. This is a 
very mild inflammatory condition, which is 
to be treated by removing the cause for the 
time being, and applying the following sim- 
ple ointment : 

No. 66. Oxide of zinc, 1 part. 

Vaseline, 6 parts. 

Mix, and apply twice a day. 

EAR BANDAGE. TMs may be readily applied by means of 

apiece of cotton; or No. 16 maybe used 
on a piece of cotton, and the ear bandage put on over it, to prevent 
the displacement of the dressing by rubbing. 

30 




CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
DISEASES OP THE SKIN. 



I. SCRATCHES, OR CRACKED HEELS. II. SADDLE AND COLLAR GALLS. III. 

RINGWORM. IV. MUD FEVER. V. ERYSIPELAS. VI. MANGE. — —VII. 

LICE. VIII. FLEAS. IX. TICKS. X. WARBLES, OR WORNILS. 

XI. MAGGOTS. XII. GREASE.— ^XIII. HIDE-BOUND. 

I. Scratches, or Cracked Heels. 

This is a very common disease among horses during the chilly 
season of the year. It is generally due to the use of water to wash 
the mud off the legs, but occasionally has its origin in the part being 
violently rubbed, or in rope burns, etc. 

Symptoms. — The first noticeable symptom is a slight lameness, 
and a soreness on pressure in the hollow of the heel; in horses with 
white feet, the skin will be seen of a rosy red color. It may stop at 
this stage, or it may advance until cracks are found from which pus 
will issue; in bad cases these may bleed at every step. After they 
are healed over, there is frequently a hard cicatrix where the crack 
was. In mild attacks, lameness will pass off after the animal has 
gone a few steps, but in the severer cases it will be very persistent, 
so much so that the animal will have to be left in the stable. 

Treatment. — To remove the cause will be the first proceeding. If 
due to the practice of washing the legs, have it stopped; instead, 
allow the mud to dry, and afterwards powder it out of the hair. 
(See pages 89 and 92.) Give the pill No. 20, if the bowels are not 
already open. The local application of No. 66, or of the following, 
will assure a speedy recovery, if the animal is taken care of: 

No. 67. Liquor plumbi acetate, 2 ounces. 

Olive oil, 6 ounces. 

Mix. 

Apply twice daily on cotton, with a bandage. 

When the disease is of long standing, it iuny be necessary to touch 
the surface with lunar caustic, or to apply a blister, such as No. 
11, afterwards using the above prescription. 

46G 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



467 



II. Saddle and Collar Galls. 

These are exceedingly familiar troubles to all who have to do with 
any class of work horses, and thousands of patent nostrums are on 
the market for their cure. 

The symptoms of chafing or galls are too common to need any 
description. When in the neighborhood of the withers, they must 
be promptly attended to, unless 
the owner wishes to have a case of 
"fistula" on his hands. 

Treatment. — When the gall is 
unimportant, the use of a little 
padding on the harness will remove 
the pressure, and allow work to be 



continued ; but if the gall be a large 




BANDAGE FOR THE BACK. 



one, humanity demands that the 

animal be exempted from work till 

cured. As a healing application to these galls, any of the following 

preparations will be suitable: No. 16, No. 17, No. 27, No. 28, No. 

64; but No. 66 is probably the best of all. When possible, especially 

during fly time, the ointment or lotion should be put on a piece of 

cotton, and this bandaged on. Our illustration shows how easily 

this may be done. 

III. Ringworm. 

This is a contagious disease, not only transmissible from one an- 
imal to another, but even to mankind. 

Cause. — The cause of ringworm is a small vegetable fungus that 
attacks the hair follicles of the skin, and even- 
tually destroys the hair. It is most likely to be 
seen among poorly kept animals, as in such it finds 
a ready field for growth. 

Symptoms. — The first sign will be an itching of 
the skin, to relieve which the animal will be con- 
tinually rubbing himself. This is followed by an 
eruption of yellowish matter, which glues the 
hair together, and, on leaving presently, forms a circular scab, whose 
centre contains none of the disease. The fungus attacks the hair, 
and it falls out, leaving bald patches, which are permanent. Ring- 
worm may appear on any part of the body, but the neck is the favor- 
ite spot, and next after that the shoulders and face. 




KINGWOKM. 



468 



THE AaiERICAN FAIl.^IEK S HORSE BOOK. 




BANDAGE FOR TOP OF THE NECK. 



Treatment. — The only way to eradicate the disease is to kill the 
fun<>us. For this purpose a variety of medicines have been em- 
ployed. Tincture of iodine will be very good, painted on once a day ; 
or the following may be applied with a mop every second day : 

No. 68. Con-osive sublimate, 1 part. 

Alcohol, 50 parts. 

Mix. 

After the skin gets sore, the mercurial ointment (to be had at any 
drug-store) may be placed on cotton and bandaged on once a day. 

It may, perhaps, be neces- 
sary to pull out the diseased 
hairs with a pair of forceps 
before any cure can be 
effected. 

IV. Mud Pever. 

This is a severe inflamma- 
tion of the skin of the leg^s, 
which may involve the wdiole 
leg and belly. It is a pro- 
duct of cold, rainy weather, combined with ignorance or laziness on 
the part of the stableman. Like scratches, it is very frequent among 
horses whose legs are washed to remove the mud, and very rare 
among those which are allowed to stand until the nuid is dry, and 
then l)ruslied off. 

Symptoms. — The legs are sore and somewhat swollen, the hair is 
rough, and, as recovery occurs, is shed in patches. In very severe 
esses there may be some scabs about the parts. Considerable sym- 
pathetic fever is also to be noticed. 

Treatment. — Stop the use of water on the legs, and rub No. 67 on 
the parts twice a day. Give Pill No. 20, and if the fever is high use 
No. 21, or No. 58, until it subsides. Allow gentle walking exercise, 

and keep the diet low. 

V. Erysipelas. 

This is an affection similar to that so common in the lunnan 
race. But the skin of the horse is of such a color and so thick, 
that the red coloration which gives rise to the vulgar names of the 
"rose" and "St. Anthony's Fire,"' in him is not visible. 

Cause. — The cause is some unknown change in the condition of 
the blood, usually following a Avound, sometimes even a slight one. 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 469 

The infection is connected with debilitating surroundings. The parts 
affected are the skin, and in the severer form the tendons and mus- 
cles, or even the bones. 

Symptoms. — Within a few days after the horse receives a wound, 
it will be noticed that the part is swollen and tender. This condition 
rapidly extends; sometimes, where a leg is involved, it will extend the 
full length of the limb in only a few hours, and cause great lameness. 
The swelling is peculiar in this, that if occurring at a part where the 
skin is loose, it seems spongy, and pits on pressure with the fino-er. 
In consequence of the intense swelling, the skin around the joint is 
liable to crack, and then a yellowish fluid exudes. 

There is a more severe form of erysipelas, in which the swellino- is 
hard, tense and exceedingly painful. This is less common than the 
preceding, but much more fatal ; the swelling is very frequently fol- 
lowed l)y the formation of abscesses along the leg, and these may 
extend into the joints, which constitute it a hopeless case. 

In both varieties of the disease, but especially the latter, the fever- 
ish condition of the system is very marked, and although the animal 
may urinate but little, he will drink immense quantities of water with 
obvious relish. The pulse is not only very fast, but also hard or 
wiry. 

Treatment. — At the beginning of the attack give the Pill No. 18, 
and diet on easily digested food, if he will eat it. Reduce the fever 
with No. 58. Also give No. 39, to relieve the swelling and coun- 
teract the poison in the blood. The local treatment will be to bathe 
the part about four times a day with hot water, afterwards rubbino- 
in the Soothing Lotion No. 3, and then bandaging the part. If anv 
wound exists, let it be treated as directed in Chapter XXIII. All 
abscesses that "point" must be opened, or they will extend into 
deeper and more important parts. 

VI. Mange. 

This is a disease of great though repulsive interest to all lovers of 
the domestic animals, none of which are exempt from its ravages. 
It is contagious, and is generally transferable from one animal to an- 
other, and even to man. It is designated by various other names in 
different animals, such as itch, scabies, etc. 

Causes. — Mange is caused by a minute animal parasite, a kind of 
which there are several varieties affecting the horse, some of them 
barely large enough to be socmi with the naked eye. This parasite has a 



470 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



number of legs, as shown in the illustration, with numerous fine hairs, 
and at the extremity of some of them very small suckers, as will be 
noticed in the highly magnified picture. The females, which are 
greatly in excess of the males, lay almost incredible numbers of eggs, 
and thus the insects are hatched out at an immense rate. 




Symptoms. — In the horse, the first noticeable sign is an itching of 
the part affected, which in some instances is so distressing as to nuike 
the animal uncontrollable. The irritation is especially severe towards 
evening. If the skin is of a light color, some redness will be seen. 
The hair is generally rough, and either parti}' falls out, or is rul)be<l 
off; but after a cure has been effected, a new growth quickly app(\u's, 
usually longer than the oriiiinal, and of a slightlv darker color. The 



DISEASES or THE SKIN. 



471 



irritation begotten of the insects buirowing in the skin causes scales 
and scabs to form. Thej will dry, and may be rubbed off, but only 
to be followed by another crop. The parasite is somewhat particular 
in "locating his claim." Not every part of the animal's body is 
equally favored; his choice is principally the neck under the mane, 
the withers, the root of the tail, and the legs. 

Incredible Fecundity of the Mange Insect. — The manner in which 
the eggs are hatched is a study. The female, after biting through the 
horse's skin, commences laying her eggs, and gradually works her way 
inwards ; so that the eggs first laid are nearest the surface, and be- 
ing first matured, the young insect readily escapes, and thus makes 
room for the next below it. As an object-lesson in the extraordinaiy 
fecundity of the female insect, we here show a section of these bur- 
rows, (very greatly enlarged). This cut 
gives a clear idea of the hatching pro- 
cess. The female, after laying all her 
effo-s, dies at the bottom of the hole she 
has burrowed. Gerlach has calculated that, 
starting with a single pregnant female, 
the number of eggs hatched within ninety 
daj^s will reach the enormous number of 
1,500,000! 

Treatment. — Owing to the contagious 
nature of the disease (from mechanical 
contact), isolation will be essential. The 
patient's brushes, combs, blankets, etc., 
must be kept exclusively for hinx, and 
after he is cured, these articles should 
be thoroughly boiled in a mixture of soap, 
carbolic acid and water before using them 
in common. The harness and wagon 
shafts must also be washed with the same 
compound to remove scabs which may mange insects (magnified 
shelter the insects. The stall should be ^^e hundred times). 

thoroughly cleaned, and brushed with a They are seen developing in the 
~ "^ ' openings of the skin. 

liot mixture of one pint of crude carbolic 

acid in a pail of water ; after this has dried, the use of whitewash 
will complete the renovation. Care must be taken to keep the animal 
away from the posts or other places where he has been accustomed to 
rul)bin«" himself. 




472 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

As the disease is entirely local, no internal treatment is necessary, 
further than to regulate the bowels. As a local aj^plication, the fol- 
lowing is excellent: 

No. 69. Powdered stavesacre, 2 ounces. 

Lard, 8 ounces. 

Olive oil, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 

Boil thoroughly and strain. This may be applied every second 
day, but only after the removal of the scabs by softening Avith warm 
water or oil. A strong decoction of tobacco water is also very fre- 
quently used, in many cases with success ; but it is not always harndess 
in its effects on the patient. We append another ver}^ fine prepara- 
tion, No. 70, which is of great benefit, most of all for dogs. A 
bath should be given occasionally. 

No. 70. Creosote, % ounce. 

Olive oil. 7 ounces. 

Solution of potash, 1 ounce. 

Mix, and apply every tliird day. 

Treatment should be continued until all signs of the presence of 

mange has passed. 

VII. Lice. 

These are very common on poorly fed horses that are kept in filthy 
stables. The lice from poultry kept in the same stable is sometimes 
the origin of the trouble. 

Symptoms. — Itching is very prominent from the very first. The 
horse stamps, and rubs and bites the itchy spots in a manner almost 
frenzied; in many instances the skin will be raw and torn, from his 
efforts to get rid of the irritation. In poultry lousiness small vesicles 
form on the skin, the hair and outer surface of which may fall off, 
and leave a small, circular, bare spot. 

Treatment. — To kill the lice, No. 69, or a strong decoction of 
tobacco water, should be rubbed into the skin. Guard against their 
recurrence by thoroughly cleansing the stable, brushes, etc., in the 
same wa}^ as directed for mange, and then whitewashing. 

VIII. Fleas. 

These pests particularly infest the dog, the hot, summer season be- 
ing the time that specially favors their growth. They can readily be 
discovered by brushing the hair back. 

Treatment. — Fleas are readily removable with a decoction of to- 
bacco water, which may, perhaps, have to be re-applietl. The Per- 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 



473 




sian and Dalmatian insect powders are both very effective, and, be- 
sides being cleaner in handling, have the advantage over tobacco of 
not being poisonous. 

Cleanliness will generally prevent fleas from appearing on the horse 

at all. 

IX. Ticks. 

These pests are very common in hot climates during the summer 
season, attaching themselves to the skin by means of a sucker or 
mouth. They attack horses, cows and sheep particularly, in many 
instances producing a condition of emaciation 
and debility. They are apt to be the most 
abundant among the thin hair, and inside the 
ears, where there is almost no hair at all. 

The tick is of a dirty brown color, and 
without wings. So tenacious is his hold that 
frequently a small piece of skin will be pulled 
off with him. 

Treatment.— This will consist in pulling '^"^ common tick (great- 

,, ^ ... 4¥ •-! • p • " LY MAGNIFIED). 

them orr, or cutting oft with a pair of scis- 
sors. Oil of turpentine is also good to remove them. 

X. Warbles, or Wornils. 

The gad-fly, or developed bot, very frequently lays her egg in the 
skin of the back, hips and shoulders. In cattle, the presence of the 
fly excites great fear, and they frequently become uncontrollable. 
The penetration of the skin, preliminary to depositing the egs:, doubt- 
less causes intense pain. After a time, as the egg develops, a lump 
appears, which, perhaps, increases to the size of a hen's egg. When 
the egg is ripe the lump bursts, and out wrig- 
gles a tin}^ creature on to the ground, where it 
gradually develops into a gad-fly. 

Treatment. — Generally the onlj^ thing needed 
is to press the lump, when it will burst; but if 
not sufficiently developed for that, use a knife 
and cut into the lump. If the slight wound thus 
made does not heal readily under the usual 
treatment, inject a little of the Solution No. 2. 
In hot weather it may be necessary to use a 
bandage, in manner as illustrated, to prevent the wound from be- 
coming "fly blown." 




BANDAGE FOR THE 
CROUP. 



474 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



XI. Maggots, 

These are a very great nuisance during warm weather, when 
wounds are so readily infected, and become "fly blown." 

The maggot is a small, white worm, from one-eighth to one-half 
inch long, and capable of only a wriggling kind of locomotion. 

Treatment. — There is no difficulty in removing maggots from a 
wound by washing, and afterwards using a little oil of turpentine. 
They may be kept out of a wound — which is best of all — by using a 
bandage, to be changed whenever soiled. • When the foot is the 
member diseased, apply a boot made with a circular piece of leather 
or of zinc for a sole, and a canvas top to strap around the fetlock. 

XII. Grease. 

This peculiar disease affects the back part of the heels, and the pas- 
tern and fetlock joints. It is considered by one high veterinary 
authority to be analogous to the pustular eczema of the human 
subject. 

Causes. — Like so many other diseases, grease is found chiefly in 
stables where the surroundings are unhealthy. Heredity is also be- 
lieved to account for it sometimes, or at 
least to predispose to it. Some veterinarians 
assert that white-legged horses are subject 
to it beyond all others, but on this point 
opinions greatly differ. It is most frequently 
seen among the heavy breeds of horses that 
have long hair on the fetlocks. 

The excitino; causes, as siven by Williams, 
are "improper food, especially moist, inferi- 
or, and cooked food; clipping the hair off the 
heels and legs: filth and neglect." Our own 
observation leads to the conclusion that the too 
plentiful use of water for cleaning the legs 
will also predispose to it. 

Symptoms. — Although the fore legs are not exempt, the hind legs 
are those most frequently affected. Soreness of the skin in the re- 
gions above mentioned, with or without swelling of the legs, is the 
first thing noticed. This is followed by the formation of pustules, 
and the discharge of a fetid matter, which mats the hair together, 
and, by its irritation, soon leaves the surface biire. In walking, the 
inflamed skin is li;il)lc to crack, and (•;uiso great ])ain. When the 




CHRONTC (1 UKASE. 

Showing the "Grapes." 



DISEASES OF THE SKIN. 475 

disease tends to become chronic, small bunches of proud flesh, 
called "grapes," spring up on the surface, usually covered with scabs, 
and, when the latter are removed, they readily bleed. From the 
masses of "grapes" issues a continual secretion of fetid matter. 
The swelling at first is sometimes absorbed, but if it continues 
and runs on into the chronic stage, the leg, as a rule, will remain 
permanently enlarged. In some cases a form of canker of the frog 
is developed, and occasionally, from the absorption of foul matter 
into the S3^stem, abscesses form along the course of the blood- 
vessels and in the groin, the disease running on at last into farcy. 

Treatment. — The condition of the stable must be attended to first 
of all, and all unhealthy surroundings improved. Allow the patient 
a sufficiency of easily digested food, and regulate the bowels by using 
oil, or the Pill No. 20, if necessary. If the patient's system needs 
toning up, give the Tonic Powder No. 19, or No. 43. The use of the 
following recipe for one week, repeating the same the third week, 
after an interval covering the second week, is often of decided benefit : 

No. 71. Liquor arseiiicalis, 3 ounces. 

Acetate of potash, 6 drachms, 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 

A wineglassful constitutes a dose, to l)e given twice a day. 

The local treatment, in the earlier stages, will consist in poulticing, 
afterwards applying No. 16, or No. 64. When the "grapes" have 
formed, the hope of a cure is often anything but bright. The proud 
flesh should first be reduced by caustics or by the hot iron, and after- 
wards by the long-continued application of No. 64 and the following, 
in alternation : 

No. 72. Sulphuric acid, 1 ounce. 

Sulphate of copper, 2 ounces. 
Watei', to make 1 quart. 

Mix. 

Apply twice daily Avith a mop. Remember the alternation with 
No. 64. 

The cure of the chronic form is never to be effected except by 
very persistent treatment, as this is a most obstinate disease. 

XIII. Hide-bound. 

Every horse owner is familiar with the condition known as hide- 
bound. The poi)ular conception figures it as a disease in itself — as 



476 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

truly so as big head or fare}', though of vastly milder type. But on 
carefully analj^zing any case of it, and making a thorough examin- 
ation of the animal's system thus affected, some antecedent ailment 
of other parts may always be brought to light. In other words, hide- 
bound is not itself a disease, but merely a symptom of certain de- 
rangements of the vital functions. 

Causes. — The class of disorders most frequently producing it are 
those of the stomach and intestines, such as heart-burn, dvspepsia, 
constipation, worms, etc. Other causes are defective teeth, either 
from decay or from being too sharp. Chronic affections, of nearl}^ 
all kinds of a constitutional nature, bring on a like condition — most 
notably big head or big jaw, described in Chapter XIV. 

Manifestations. — Unthriftiness in general; the hair loses its nat- 
ural glossy look, because the glands in the skin no longer discharge 
their duties fully; the skin is bound down tightly on the ribs, and in 
many cases cannot be raised by the fingers with any amount of effort. 
All or any of the following conditions may be noticed in different 
cases : loss of appetite, imperfect mastication of the food, licking- 
whitewashed walls, heart-burn (shown by turning up the upper lip, as 
illustrated on page 348), flatulence, etc. In other cases, nothing ab- 
normal may be perceived further than the gaunt condition, the an- 
imal greedily eating everything placed before him. 

Treatment. — Carefully consider the various symptoms shown, and 
try to locate the disease; in other words, see, if possible, what par- 
ticular part or function it is that is at fault. When this is accom- 
plished, treat for that particular disease, according to the directions 
laid down for it elsewhere in this work. 

In the general condition of hide-bound (due, probablv, to digestive 
derangements), give Pill No. 18, and for several days feed a salted 
bran mash. Give the tonic preparations No. 19, or No. 30, or No. 71. 
continuing same for several weeks. It is often of benefit to change 
the medicines after a week or two. The teeth should always be ex- 
amined, and all irregularities corrected, as advised in Chapter XXIV. 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 



I. MANY OPERATIONS NOT BEYOND THE FARMER'S SKILL. II. ANESTHETICS. 

III. HOW TO ADMINISTER CHLOROFORM. IV. METHODS OF SECURING 

FOR OPERATION. V. DOCKING. VI. NICKING. -VII. NEUROTOMY, 

OR NERVING. VIII. TREPANATION, OR TREPHINING. IX. SUBCUTAN- 
EOUS PERIOSTEOTOMY. X. TENOTOMY. XI. SETONS. XII. FIRING. 

I. Many Operations Not Beyond the Farmer's Skill. 

In introducing a chapter devoted to some of the more difiicult 
operations, we do so witli tlie belief that it will be duly appreciated, 
especially by a large number of the more progressive farmers and 
horsemen. There is really little reason why a farmer should not 
himself perform the more common operations in veterinary surgery. 
If the proper kind of knives or other instruments are not at hand, take 
the next best — the most suitable in your possession ; or, many of 
them can be made by an expert blacksmith from the engravings 
given in this book. 

Before undertaking any operation, carefully read the instructions. 
Above all, bestow a careful, studious examination upon the different 
engravings which represent the part or organ to be operated on. 
Success in one case will give contidence for the next. 

II. Ansesthetics, and their Administration. 

The use of anaesthetics for all painful operations in the lower an- 
imals, although not absolutely necessary, is called for, if only for 
humanity's sake. But there are additional reasons for it. Most 
animals will struggle violently under pain, and an otherwise simple 
operation may be greatly complicated, and thereby false cuts made, 
etc., and the operation be much prolonged, to say nothing of the 
risk of injury to the operator and his assistants. 

Chloroform. — The anajsthetic most suitable for the horse, and the 
one generally used, is chloroform, being quick in its action, and fol- 
lowed by no after-effects. Chloroform may be mixed Avith ether and 
alcohol, but it is best to administer the pure article alone. Ether has 

477 



478 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



been so little used on the horse as 3'et, that we can afford to pass it 
by with a bare mention. Later it may, perhaps, be more used. 

The inhalation of chloroform is accomplished through an inhaler, 
which may be of any form that can be applied to the nostrils. The 
mouth may be left free, as the horse cannot breathe throuoh it, owing 
to the great length of the palate. An excellent inhaler may easil}^ be 
made of canvas, in the form of a cylinder, about tsvelve inches long 
and twenty inches in circumference, a draw string on each end serv- 
ing to close it. Passing it over the nose and upper jaw, the strings 
are drawn close to exclude the air, the horse's 
lower jaw and tongue being left entirelj^ free. 
An ordinar}^ canvas feed-bag will also answer 
the purpose, by running a string around the 
upper end. The improved form shown in the 
engraving will be still better. 

III. How to Adm.inister Chloroform. 
Chloroform should never be given with the 
animal in the standing po.sition. He should 
always be secured b}^ the hobbles, etc. , on a so:^t 
bed. The bag being placed in position, and 
the eyes protected by blinders, about half an 
ounce of the fluid ma}' be poured on a small 
wad of cotton batting, or on any light cotton 
or linen goods, which is to be quickly placed 
in the end of the inhaler. As evaporation oc- 
curs, which will be in about two minutes, wet 
the batting again with the same amount. The 
time required to produce anesthesia being from five to ton minutes, 
the quantity of fluid needed will vary from one to foui- ounces, ac- 
cording to the susceptibility of the animal. 

The Signs to be Watched. — The signs to be watched during in- 
halation are found in the respiration, the pulse, the eye and the 
tongue. During the first few whiffs of the drug the horse will strug- 
gle, ])ut will shortly (juiet doAvn, and as the stage of ana'sthcsia ap- 
})roaches, he will neigh or s(jueal. •Then the nmscles quiver, the 
breathing becomes quiet and reguhir, and he li(\s perfectly still — the 
chloform has done its work. The pulse, after the first excitement, 
should remain firm and regular throughout the admiiiisti'atioii ; anv 
irregularity or fluttering is to be regarded with suspicion, and the in- 




CHLOROFOKM BAG. 



.SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 



479 



halation .should ])e susipoudcd until the pulse regains its tone, Avhen it 
may be again cautiously proceeded with. 

The eye and tongue are good guides in determining the degree of 
anaesthesia. For a time, when the cornea is touched, it will show a 
reflex, by causing the eyelids to wink; this will disappear as uncon- 
sciousness comes on, of which, therefore, it is the usual test. Sim- 
ilarly the tongue will at first answer to a pinch by retracting; when 
it hangs out of the mouth and does not respond to a pinch, the state 
of ansesthesia has been obtained. 

During and After the Operation. — From now on the inhalation 
must be carefully regulated. It should be suspended at this point, 
and only renewed on the signs of returning consciousness. It is dur- 
ing this stage, when none of the parts show any reflex, and when the 
limbs are perfectly flaccid, 
that the operating should be 
done. 

When the inhalation is 
stopped, the animal will grad- 
ually recover from its effects. 
He should be allowed to re- 
main quiet. Remove the hob- 
bles, and he will rise up him- 
self at the proper time. In 
the horse, there is rarely any 
sickness from the use of chloroform, such as is so common in the 
human subject. The animal will probably want to eat, but nothing- 
more than a little hay and water should be allowed for several hours. 
IV. Methods of Securing for Operation. 

There are many different ways of securing a horse for operation, 
but it will be suflicient here to consider only the most common ones. 
In fact, several methods of throwing and securing the horse, includ- 
ing the Rarey method, have already been described, and, by means of 
the index, may be referred to in a moment. 

The Hobbies. — The use of hobbles, such as are here illustrated, is 
the favorite expedient for casting a horse. They are made with all 
sorts of modifications, some of which are very cheap. They are 
placed on the ankles like bracelets, the chief hobble being on the 
fore-leg. To throw a horse, one man should steady the head, and 
another hold the tail tiglitl}^, while two or three pull on the rope. 
When this is carefully done, the horse w\\\ fall easily. A small open 




HOBBLES FOR THE HORSE. 



480 



THE AMERICAN 1 AKMEIt 8 llOKSE BOOK. 



first in an upright position. 




iron ring, called a "key," is now passed tlirougli one of the links 
next the chief hobble. Its use is to prevent the legs coming loose 
during the animal's struggles, and it will also do away with the 
necessity of holding the rope. 

The Operating Table. — This is not yet in general use, but a de- 
scription of it Avill not be out of place. A good general idea of the 
shape and mode of working the table may be obtained from the 
accompanying engraving. The table stands with the table-board at 

The horse is walked alongside of it, the 
belly band is adjusted, 
the feet hobbled to the 
table, and the neck se- 
cured by a strap; then, 
by a few turns of the 
levers, the table and horse 
are brought to the posi- 
tions shown in the cut. 
This table is certain to be 
very generally adopted b}^ 
persons having occasion 
to handle many horses. Its superior advantages are obvious. 

The Stocks, or Travis. — This, likewise, is a good way to secure a 
fractious horse in some of the less important operations, in which 
anaesthetics are not needed. The stocks are generally made by plac- 
ing six posts in two parallel rows, with side rail- 
ings. The horse is secured between these posts 
by so jjassing bars, straps, etc., in front, behind, 
above and below him as to prevent movement in 
any direction. 

Securing the Fore Leg. — Occasionally, in 
opening an ab,sccss, ,shoc-boil or other minor 
operation, some easy way of restraining the 
horse is necessary. In these cases the "twitch" 
on the nose, made by passing a loop of thick 
cord through an eyelet on the end of a stick, 
will be sufficient : but as an aid the fore leg ma}^ 
be secured Avith a strap or rope in the way shown 
in the annexed cut . 



HORSE SECURED ON THE OPERATING TABLE. 




FORE LEG SECURED. 



V. Docking. 
The horse's tail has from thirteen 1o twenty small bones, extend- 
tendino- in a. continuous line, and likewise livaduallv lessonino" in size 



SPECIAL OPERATIONS, 



481 



from the root to the tip. In some European countries, and particu- 
hirly in England, fashion has succeeded in depriving the poor beast 
of the major portion of his caudal appendage. This craze has taken 
a firm hold also in this country, more particularly in the East, where 
nearly all carriage and saddle horses must lose their tails before they 
are fit for use! Some States have justly passed very stringent laws 
against the practice, on the ground of humanit}-^ (for the poor brute's 
feelings in "fly time" may be easily imagined) ; but their laws are 
easily circumvented by taking the animal to some adjoining State, 
and docking him there. 

The operation consists in removing such portion of the tail as may 
suit the owner's idea of beauty, or rather his whims. In the mare, a 
suflicieut length must always be left to at least cover the vulva. 

The amount of tail to be removed having been decided on, the 
joint is located by move- 
ment of the bones, and at 
this spot the hair is parted 
and bound back out of the 
way. It is very important 
to make sure that the knife 
will cut through the car- 
tilage or gristle between the 
two bones ; otherwise, if a 
piece of bone is left with- 
out any blood to nourish 
it, its death will follow, 
the part will not heal, and 
another cutting will be 

necessary, or else a slow-healing sore may result, one that will take 
several months to skin over. 

To cut through the tail, various sharp cutting instruments are used, 
such as a wide chisel, a carving knife, a regular docking knife, as 
here shown, etc. ; or the amputation may be made with an ordinary 
scalpel, or a special V-shaped docking knife. 

When a chisel or knife is used, the tail is placed over any 

firm wooden place, and the knife smartly hit by a hammer. The 

end of the tail — the stump — must be left perfectly smooth. The 

usual after-treatment is to sear the end with a hot iron, which 

31 




DOCKING KNIFE. 



482 THE AMERICAiSr FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

promptly stops the bleeding. Some rosin may be seared on ; this 
will form a scab that seals the end, and by thus excluding the air, 
no pus will be formed, the scab dropping off in course of a week or 
two. 

The amputation of the tail is a more scientific piece of work, 
and requires some practical knowledge. The result is also, much 
better, the end exhibiting a pointed form, with the hair growing out 
to the tip, in this way hiding the small scar. In this method of 
docking, the skin is divided into two oval flaps back of the joint; 
these are turned back, and the bones separated at the joint. The 
bleeding of the larger arteries is stopped by tying them, and that of 
the smaller ones by pressing. The two flaps are brought together 
and held by a stitch. The tail may now be dressed by methods 
appropriate for wounds ; but if it be bandaged Avith cotton batting, 
soaked in Antiseptic Lotion No. 1, or No. 12, it will heal much 
quicker. The amputation may be performed with an ordinary knife, 
but it is very slow work, and unless chloroform be used is ver}^ pain- 
ful. We greatly prefer an instrument of a V shape, which is to be 
had of veterinary instrument dealers, and operates very accurately 

and quickly. 

VI. Nicking. 

This is very frequently performed, the results being invariably 
good. The cases mostly requiring it are crooked tails, or tails car- 
ried to one side, or in Some cases even between the legs. Some 
horses which hold their tails perfectly straight when standing will, 
nevertheless, carry them to one side when in action. 

The tail is moved by six muscles, two above, two below, and one 
on each side. These are connected with each bone hy little branches, 
and extend to the very tip of the tail. 

To remedy a defective tail, the horse should be put in motion, in 
order to get an accurate idea of the place to nick, which will gen- 
erally be about eight inches from the root. The lower sets of mus- 
cles are the ones most commonly at fault in all these tail troubles, 
but sometimes the side muscles may be involved. In crooked tails 
only one side will need cutting, unless the tail has a double crook, 
but in a depressed tail both sides will need attention. 

The operation of "nicking" consists in cutting through the offend- 
ing muscles with the nicking knife, ii good form of which is here 
illustrated. There are many different nu'lhods of cutting. Tlie simplest 



SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 



4S3 



is to push the knife straight through the muscle to the bone, then 
cut to the right, and upwards towards the left. A little bleeding 
may result, but this is not serious. In the subcutaneous method 
(that is, under the skin), the knife is inserted by the side of the 
muscles as far as the bone, then the edge is turned and pressed out- 
ward, until it is felt under the sliin. This is a more difficult way than 




NICKING KNIFE. 



the first, but has the advantage of leaving a very small opening only, 
which quickly heals. 

After the muscle is lait, if the part has been crooked, it should be 
tied to the opposite side; if depressed, it should be elevated by a 
pully and weight. In either case, the corrective position may be 
maintained for twenty-four hours. Sometimes it is necessary to nick 
the tail in several different places, before it will straighten. 

VII. Neurotomy, or Nerving. 

This is a very delicate operation, by which a certain part is deprived 
of sensation, by excising or removing a portion of the nerve. In the 
horse, the only parts thus operated on are the lower limbs. 

The diseases that call for this operation are navicular disease, 
chronic corns, ring-bones, etc., — that is, in chronic cases, that hold 
out no hope of recovery. "In determining whether it is judicious to 
operate or not, the following rules must be borne in mind: First, 
never operate on a very heavy, thick-legged cart-horse ; second, never 
operate wliere the feet are thin, weak in the heels, full in the sole, 
or otherwise exhibiting a predisposition to laminitis (founder) ; and, 
third, operate only when the subject's foot is good and strong, his 
action not too high, and the lameness otherwise incurable." 

There are two forms of nerving, known respectively as the high 
and low operations. The former, or complete one, deprives the foot 
of all sensation, and is never advisable when the low or partial form 
will suffice, for the reason that in case pus should afterward form in 
the hoof from corns, etc., or the foot be pricked b}^ a nail, the in- 
jury nuiy never be suspected until it has reached a very serious stage. 
The low operation is performed below the fetlock on only one branch 
of the nerve; this will leave some sensation in the foot, enouirh to 
serve as a safeguard against many accidents. The cutting of the 



184 



THE AMERICAN EARMEe's HORSE ^OOIC, 



nerve is exccedinglj^ painful. Chloroform .should, therefore, be used, 
or a solution of cocaine may be injected under the skin along the 
course of the nerve, producing local anaesthesia. 

High Nerving. — The high operation is performed thns : The horse 
being thrown by the hobbles, or other method, and the hair clipped 




A USEFUL KNIFE FOR NERVING, ETC. 

off the spot to be operated on (about one and a half inches above 
the fetlock joint, at the anterior edge of the back tendon), the skin 
is cut through with a knife, such as is here shown, the opening not 
needing to be more than an inch long. This will suiliciently expose 
/ I, the loose tissues beneath, which are then 

to be cut through very careful h\ The 
white nerve (that of sensation) will be 
found lying close to the tendon, with the 
artery in front of it, and the vein more 
forward still. 

The utmost care must be taken to divide 
the nerve without injuring any of the blood 
vessels ; if, nevertheless, this should un- 
fortunately happen, they will have to be 
tied, and the blood sponged out of the cut. 
The nerve should be cut off as high as 
possible, during which the horse may strug- 
-' gle violently ; then it is cut at the lower 
TJ-, end of the o[)ening, and in this way about 
^^'~ three-fourths of an inch (»f the nerve re- 
BAD RKsuLTs FOLLOWING uiovcd. This uuiy thcu be repeated on 
HIGH NERVING, ^\^q oppositc sidc of the leg, the position 

of the nerve and vessels being the same on both sides. 

Low Nerving. — In this, the operating is done below^ the fetlock, 
in the depression easilj^ felt between the tendon and the bone, the 
point at which the nerve lies alongside the tendon, the same as men- 
tioned in describing the high form. It is divided, and a section of 
nerve removed in the same way as in high nerving. 




SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 



485 



Af ter-Treatment and Effects. — In either form of nerving the after- 
treatment will consist in placing a stitch in the cut, and bandaging 
the leg regularly for a few days with the Cooling Lotion No. 4. 
Complete rest must be given. 

The after-effects of neurotomj" are very variable. The horse may, 
perhaps, travel sound and good for a great many years at slow work; 
or, on the other hand, unfavorable accidents may occur, such as 
breaking the pedal bone, rupturing a tendon, or a condition of com- 
plete breakdown, such as is reproduced in the illustration. It is 
alwavs well to take the horse-shoer into your confidence after an 
operation of this kind, so that the feet may be better watched, and 
more care taken in driving the shoe nails. 

VIII. Trepanation, or Trephining. 

This consists in removing a piece of bone, most commonly from 
the head. The object, usually, is to allow matter to escape from some 
of the facial sinuses; to make an opening to insert a lever to elevate 
some broken part; or to open the 
cranial cavity, in order to remove 
tumors .or worms. Occasionally, it is 
necessary also to trephine the scapula, 
in old cases of fistulous withers, to se- 
cure proper drainage for a deeply im- 
bedded "pipe"' beneath it. Opening 
the cavities of the face is the only form 
necessitated at all frequently. The 
principal of these cavities, and the 
places to reach them by trephining, are 
shown so clearly in the illustration that 
they require no further description. 

Trephining Described. — The hair is 




WHERE TO TREPHINE. 



The places at which to open the differ- 
ent sinuses are indicated by tlie lettered 
;^ spots. 

A — Left frontal sinns. 

first clipped at the point selected. The B-Superiormaxillary sinus (upper part) 
, . -ji 1 J i • • 1 0—Superiormaxillarv sinus (lower part) 

skin may either t3e cut out in a circle 

sufficiently large to allow the round trephine to work, or else a 
T-shaped incision may be made, and the edges turned back. All the 
skin and tissues must be carefully removed, to allow the teeth of the 
instrument to work. The central, sharp point of the trephine (see 
engraving) is now pushed into the centre of the bone, to prevent 
movement, and with a steady pressure the instrument is worked in 
a circle, or backward and forward. This must be done verv care- 



486 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



fully towards the end of the operation, as otherwise the piece of 

bone might be forced into the sinus. 

The cavity now being open, any matter or tumor found therein 

may be removed, and the sinus washed out. If an immediate closing- 
is desired, the T-shaped cut 
of the skin will have been 
chosen ; the edges may be 
stitched together and held by 
a bandage, or they ma}^ be 
retained by a pitch plaster. 
When the cavity is likely to 
need dressing every day, the 
circular skin opening is the 
best. It may be kept open 
by inserting a plug, or a cord. 
After the skin heals over, a 

soft spot will always remain, as the bone is never replaced. 

IX. Subcutaneous Periosteotomy. 
This is the cutting of the periosteum — the thin, tough membrane 
covering the bone — to allow the escape of pus or tluid that has gath- 
ered below it, or to relieve pressure there. This membrane being 
very unyielding, any collection of fluid or swelling under it causes in- 
tense pain, and in the horse nearly always great lameness, by reason 




CIRCULAR TREPHINE. 




SHARP-POINTED BISTOURY. 



of its location. This is an operation seldom required among horses. 
Bony growths — splints, etc., — during their formative period, are what 
call for them oftenest. 

The knife is inserted side-ways under the skin, and the edge turned 
onto the enlargement, then by a little pressure the periosteum is cut 
through over the entire length of the growth. The after-treatment 
will be rest, and the application of healing lotions to the part. 

X. Tenotomy. 
Tenotomy is the cutting, the division, of a tendon. It is practiced 
to remedy contracted tendons, in cases so bad as to cause the horse 
to walk on the toe. In the front feet the operation is generally sue- 



SPECIAL OPERATIONS. 487 

cessful, but in the hind feet it is very difficult to prevent contraction 
from again occurring, notwithstanding a marked success temporarily. 
The horse being first cast by the hobbles, the leg to be worked on 
is loosened from the hobble, and held extended by a rope. Then a 
sharp-pointed knife (like that illustrated on page 484) is inserted 
veiy close to the anterior edge of the tendon, at the middle of the 
leg, and pushed through until it can be felt under the skin of the op- 
posite side, when it is withdrawn, and the probe-pointed bistoury is 
passed through the opening, until it in turn can be felt on the oppo- 



PROBE-POINTED BISTOURY. 

site side. The leg is now extended, whereupon the tendon presses 
on the knife, which gradually cuts it through. Care must be taken 
not to cut through the skin, as that would probably be followed by a 
growth of proud flesh on the divided ends, and presently in the open- 
ing. 

After the operation, the cut is to be stitched, or a pin passed 
through the skin, and a piece of thread wound around it. Apply 
bandages until the cut heals. The toe of the foot will probably turn 
up ever after, but this need not cause anxiety. If the hind foot has 
been the one affected, a flat shoe, with an extension piece forward on 
the toe, had better be used on it, as there is dano-er that the healino- 
may result in another case of contraction. The horse should not be 
worked for three to six months after undergoing tenotomy. 

XI. Setons. 

Setons are not used nearly as extensively as they were twenty or 
thirty years ago. They are hardly ever brought into requisition now, 
except in chronic cases, where a continual irritation for several days 
or weeks together is desired, or to drain an abscess, or remove some 
growth under the skin. They are generally made of ordinaiy width 
tape. 

To the directions already given in Chapter XXIT, we add the fol- 
lowing: A seton may be left in place for any length of time, up to 
one month. It should be moved up and down once a day, and any 
matter that has collected should be pressed out. If a strong enough 
action is not secured, rub a little turpentine or other blistering sub- 
stance on the tape occasionally. 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



XII. Firing. 

This is a time-lion oved way of restoring certain chronic cases to a 
healthy state — more esj^ecially cliTonic diseases of the bone and mus- 
cles, in our account of which it has been referred to time and again. 

Firing is done either in lines by the convex-edged iron, or in 2)oints 
by the pointed iron. Both forms of the firing-iron are here depicted. 




CONVEX-EDGED IRON. 




POINTED IRON. 



The lines, in the general run of diseases, are the most applicable, 
but the points leave a much smaller blemish, which is a great ad- 
vantage. 

The hair should be removed before firing a part. When it is very 
long, this is really essential. The lines or points should not be closer 
together than half an inch, as otherwise the}^ may cause a destruction 
of tissue by excessive burning, and hence an excessively large blem- 
ish. Tliere are no set rules for conducting the operation of firing; 
but in the different parts of the body, the burning in of certain figures 
is by some considered of more advantage than others. The accom- 
panying illustration shows the parts of the body on which firing is 
principally employed, with suitable designs for each. 

Firing, when not too ex- 

^f'^^^Pi^^ ^/^% tensive, may generally be 

^\ done with the an in ml in the 



standing position, and a twitch 
on the nose. The iron is 
heated to a white heat, and 
the design first lightly traced 
on the part, to be afterwards 
gone over again, so as to ex- 
tend the marks deeper. 

After the firing, the head 
should be tied up high to pre- 
vent the part from being bitten; or, still better will be the use of a 
cradle or side-rod. Both of these simple devices will be found ex- 
hibited elsewhere in this work. Blisters are frequently rubbed on, to 
increase the inllanimatorv action. 




VARIOUS DESIGNS IN FIRING. 



CHAPTEE XL. 
POISONS, POISONOUS SNAKES AND INSECTS, ETC. 



I. CONCERNING POISONS IN GENERAL. II. THE CHIEF SOURCES OP POISON- 
ING. III. INTERNAL POISONS. IV. POISONOUS PLANTS. V. POISON- 
OUS PREPARATIONS FROM PLANTS. VI. POISONS OF THE SKIN. VII. 

SNAKE-BITES. VIII. VENOMOUS SPIDERS. IX. THE CENTIPEDE. X. 

STINGING SCORPIONS. XI. HORNETS, "WASPS, ETC. 

I. Concerning Poisons in General. 

The action of poisonous substances is not uniformly the same upon 
the horse as it is upon the human. While some of them are nearly 
equally destructive to both, many that are deadly in their effects upon 
the biped are quite innocent when given the horse; and still others 
are in the highest degree injurious to the latter, but not at all harm- 
ful to man. 

In this chapter the design is not to describe the action of those 
poisons which are known to be universally destructive to animal life, 
for these there is no need to warn the reader against using. It is to 
call the attention of all classes to the dangers attending the employ- 
ment of various drugs which many people are ignorantly accustomed 
to give their horses to purify the blood, and for the improvement of 
condition generally, and to point out the best known antidotes when 
they have been given either by accident or design. We shall also 
have occasion to treat of the various animal poisons to whose oper- 
ation the horse is sometimes exposed, — the bite of serpents, the sting 
of poisonous insects, and the like. 

II. The Chief Sources of Poisoning. 
Often nothing will avail in a case of poisoning. Poisons usually 
act very quickly, disorganizing the blood and the tissues of the body 
so rapidly that only the promptest possible measures will save the 
victim's life. Others, however, do not destroy the animal at once; 
he lingers along in ill-health and finally dies — it may be even months 
afterwards. Innumerable cases of chronic disease and permanently 
impaired health are referable to nothing else in the world than 

489 



490 THE AMERICAN FARMEP/s HORSE BOOK. 

the use of poisonous medicines. Such remedies every intelligent 
farmer and horse-owner will entirely ignore in his veterinary prac- 
tice, and upon no consideration be induced to have anything to 
do with them. There is no need to resort to the use of such poisons 
in any case, for there is an abundance of other medicines to select 
from which are equally or nearly as efficient, and attended with no dan- 
gerous consecjuences. 

It is not often that the horse is poisoned internally, except as be- 
fore adverted to, — by the careless or ignorant use of certain articles 
administered as medicines. Natural instinct teaches him to avoid 
most of the poisonous herbs that commonly grow in the pasture- 
fields, where he seldom receives any injury of this kind, unless it be 
occasionally from the poisonous weeds and vines with which his nose 
may come in contact during grazing. Perhaps the chief danger of 
internal poisoning to which the horse is exposed proceeds from the 
mean, dastardly mode which some cowards adopt to take revenge 
upon an enemy — that of destroying or ruining his horse. 

In many districts of the South and Southwest the stock-raiser has 
much more reason to dread the bites of venomous serpents, insects, 
etc., than any of the other sources of poisoning. 

III. Internal Poisons. 

This, of course, is the class of poisons which communicate their 
hurtful influences through the medium of the stomach and the lacteal 
absorbents of the intestines. Many of them prove deadly at once; 
but these are all too well known to need enlarging upon. Our object 
is rather to warn against the employment of such as are slower in 
their action, and whose ill effects, in consequence, are more apt to be 
overlooked. 

Cantharides, or Spanish Flies. — This is a poison of the strongest 
diuretic properties. It is unsafe, given by the inexperienced in how 
small quantities soever; and for this reason, notwithstanding that 
nearly all veterinary writers prescribe it, with more or less strenuous 
cautions, Ave nuist condenni it altogether. Given internally, it very 
often produces strangury and death; and if these sad results do not 
follow, there will generally be found a permanently diseased condition 
of the urinary organs, extending not unfre(|uently to the stomach and 
bowels. 

The antidote for this form of poisoning is some kind of emollient 
drink. Linseed tea or oatmeal ai'uel will o-enerallv best meet the 



POISONS, POISONOUS SNAKES AND INSECTS, ETC. 491 

conditions of farm life. Tincture of opium, in half-ounce doses every 
hour, will be beneficial. No oils should be given, as they increase the 
action of the poison. 

Corrosive Sublimate. — This is a poison of fearfully destructive ef- 
fects when introduced into the stomach. Its principal use in veter- 
inary practice is its local antiseptic properties Avhen greatly diluted 
with water. In case it is accidentally given, it should be antidoted 
with eggs, starchy fluids^, milk, etc., the animal being allowed to 
drink all the water he wants. 

Acids. — None of these constitute a suitable medicine for the horse, 
unless very greatly diluted. They are principally the acetic, carbolic, 
citric, muriatic, sulphuric, nitric, tartaric, oxalic, and prussic. All of 
these are to be rejected as injurious, and some of them as most swift 
and deadl}^ poisons. 

To antidote the poison of all mineral acids, except sulphuric, give 
large quantities of water; also chalk, soap and any alkaline substance 
available. For carbolic acid, eggs, gruel and strong coffee and oils 
are useful. 

All<alles, — -Alkalies and their salts may all be used at times with 
decided advantao;e as correctors of an acid condition of the stomach, 
or as mild and safe diuretics. In this list of remedies, nitrate of po- 
tassa (the nitre, or saltpeter, of everj^-da}^ life) stands high as a mild 
diuretic. It should be given only in small doses, and never except in 
clear cases of urinary disease. The tendency in the stomach of the 
horse is toward acidity and fermentation. Acids aggravate this con- 
dition, and ruin the horse; alkahes correct the former, and relieve the 
animal. 

To counteract the effect of poisonous doses of these salts, the acids 
must be used. Give them in the form of vinegar and water. Oils, 
eggs and gruels are also very helpful. 

Turpentine. — Turpentine is an excellent constituent of external ap- 
plications, such as liniments, the best of which can hardl}' be made 
without using it to some extent. It is a rubefacient (which means 
that it produces redness of the skin), and, opening the pores, it pre- 
pares the way for the other ingredients of the liniment to act; but, 
given internally to the horse in large doses, it is poisonous to both 
the digestive and urinary organs. In small doses, with oil, it is very 
much used for the relief of flatulent colic. 



492 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Tartar Emetic. — This is a powerful nauseant; in large quantities 
it has the effect of an active poison. In closes of from a drachm to a 
drachm and a half, when given with nitre and digitalis, it excites the 
secretions of the skin, acting as a powerful diaphoretic as well as 
diuretic. In overdoses it is apt to do injury. As the horse cannot 
vomit, it is safest to accompan}'^ tartar emetic with a small dose of 
salts. 

Croton Oil. — Great danger attends the use of croton oil in veter- 
inary practice. It is admissible only in very extreme cases of costive- 
ness. Such is the rapidity and violence of its action, that it often 
does material injury before the bowels relax, having a strong tendency 
to produce rupture and death ; or a fatal diarrhoea ma}^ be the result. 
The dose is from eight to ten drops, in some warm water or oil ; but 
the instances are rare in which milder remedies will not serve a better 
purpose. 

As an antidote for this species of poisoning, eggs, linseed tea, 
tincture of opium, and Astringent Mixtm'esNos. 37, 38, and 39 will all 
be good. As an external application, in all cases where an active 
liniment is needed, croton oil is quite valuable. 

IV. Poisonous Plants. 

Of the large number of vegetable poisons, there are ver}^ few which 
appear to be very injurious to the horse. We have often known him 
to eat with impunity the leaves of the ground and fence ivy of the 
meadows. Externally, these are poisons; but taken into his stomach 
they do no harm. We know of but three plants growing in America 
that the horse will ever eat which act as a poison to him. These are 
the poison-oak that grows upon dead trees and stumps, the laurel 
growing upon the bluft's of creeks and rocky chasms, and the loco- 
weed (or crazy-weed, as it is sometimes called), which is found in the 
Western and Southwestern States. This last he will eat because it ap- 
jDears so fresh and green before the spring grass appears. It pro- 
duces emaciation and various nervous symptoms, in conlii'med loco- 
eaters. 

Treatment. — For poisoning by the oak or laurel, the bowels must 
be evacuated as quickly as possible by use of Pill No. 18, and then 
plenty of chalk-water or lime-water be given. 

The loco-eater mav be cured bv feeding him o^ood food, if the weed 

*■■■ » O ~ 

can only be kept away. The trouble often is that he will hunt for 
the weed, and n})parently must have it to satisfy his ci'aving, when he 



POISOJS'S, POISOA'OUS SNAKES AND INSPECTS, ETC. 493 

has once acquired a taste for it. In these confirmed cases, no reliable 
cure has been found ; they resemble the old toper with his dram. 

V. Poisonous Preparations from Plants. 

Belladonna, or Deadly Nightshade. — This is a deadly poison in its 
l)repared f orm ; but the horse will not eat it when o-rowino- wild, as 
in the United States it does in certain sections. It is a very powerful 
narcotic and sedative, and, in small doses, is a valuable auxiliary in 
all cases of undue action of the nervous and vascular systems, especi- 
ally in affections of the heart and lungs. 

The antidote is tincture of opium, which has a stronaly stimulatino- 
effect upon the brain. 

White Hellebore. — This is a virulent poison, very dangerous in the 
hands of those wdio are ignorant of its properties. In small doses, 
it may occasionally be used to advantage, but it is always to be ad- 
ministered with great caution. It is a vevy powerful cathartic. In 
diseases of the lungs, especially in inflammation, it acts Avith o-reat 
force upon the pulse, lowering it very rapidly. The prominent symp- 
toms of poisoning from this cause are a rapid sinking of the pulse, 
hanging of the head, frothing at the mouth, great weakness, and 
muscular spasms, followed by paralysis. 

The antidotes are the familiar gruels and stimulants, with one 
drachm doses of tannin to remove the unabsorbed poison, with which 
tannin readily combines and forms an insoluble compound. 

Black Hellebore. — Like the wdiite hellebore, this seldom grows in 
our meadows and pastures. As they are veiy offensive to the horse 
he is in little danger from either; nor are they often used by our 
farmers. The black hellebore, while not as poisonous as the white 
possesses no special properties which can justify its use internall3\ 

Poisoning by this plant results in a violent colic, with drastic pur- 
gation and heart depression. It may be antagonized by opiates and 
stimulants. 

Opium. — This is obtained from any of the poppy plants so com- 
mon. Horses will not eat them, but poisoning by opium is often seen 
wdiere it is used as a medicine in the treatment of disease — especially 
colic. The excessive use of this drug produces a condition of deliri- 
um, a staggering walk, and sickness; the animal will walk aimlesslv 
around, or stand in a corner pressing against the Avail. 



494 THE AMERICAN FARMEK 8 HORSE BOOK. 

The treatment is the use of oil for a purgative, giving gruels to 
drink, and exercise. Ammonia held to the nostrils will act as a stim- 
ulant. 

VI, Poisons of the Skin. 

Concerning these there is little to be said, compared with those we 
have been so far considering, in the great class of internal poisons. 

Poison Oak, or Running Sumach. — The creeping plant known by 
this name is most frequently found climbing old stumps of trees, 
piles of stones, and the like. Although the horse will eat this only 
occasionally, it often poisons his nose and ears, and sometimes his 
feet, when they happen to come into contact with it in grazing. It 
causes blisters and scabby eruptions. 

The treatment is to wash with a tea of golden seal three or four 
times during the day, and at night rub in some grease over the poi- 
sonous surface. In the morning wash off the grease with warm soap- 
suds, and apply the decoction of golden seal again. Continue this 
course as long as may be necessary to heal. 

Other Poisonous Plants, Vines, Etc. — There are several other 
poisonous plants and vmes common in various parts of the country, 
such as the meadow ivy, the poison vine, the hemlock, the "sneeze- 
weed" of the South, and some others. The weed last named is a 
great pest of the pastures and woods of many districts of the South, 
where many colts and horses are almost ruined by it during August 
and September. 

The treatment for all external poisons of this class is that just pre- 
scribed for the poison oak, — frequent washing with the decoction of 
3'ellow-root, or golden seal, with nightly anointments with grease. 
If, as sometimes happens in cases of severe poisoning, the legs swell 
and the joints become stiff, wash them repeatedly with hot salt and 
Avater; or, instead, use the Soothing Lotion No. 3, or the Cooling 
Lotion No. 4. Give Purgative Pill No. 18, or No. 20, and maintain 
the strength by good food, with the addition of tonics, if necessar>^ 

Burns from Acids.. — The various acids are poisons to the skin, 
causing the most painful burns. The treatment will be similar to that 
directed for l)urns in Chapter XXIII. 

We come now to animal poisons, the third and last class to be con- 
sidered. 

VII. Snake Bites. 

Nature has populated the Western Continent with many varieties 
of serpents and poisonous insects. Some of the AVestern and South- 



roisoxs, POISONOUS plants and insects, etc. 495 

western States, especially those bordering upon the Mississippi river, 
arc irreatl}^ infested with them. In West Tennessee — aland of thick- 
cls and underbrush — and elsewhere, the rattlesnake abounds. Besides 
this venomous creature, there are others on all the tributaries of the 
Mi>ssissippi. The whole country on the lower portion of its course is 
tenanted not only with the rattlesnake, but also the spreading adder, 
the moccasin, the cotton-mouth, and the black and water vipers. 

It is not often that the horse is bitten b}'' a snake, yet it sometimes 
occurs. Nearly all serpents give warning to any animal approaching 
them ; and the horse, unless his hearing is impaired, never fails to 
take the alarm and flee from danger. Of those that are unquestion- 
ably poisonous, not all are equally so, the venom of some being much 
more active than that of others. Otherwise, the quality of the virus 
seems essentially the same in each, and hence a uniform course of 
treatment is to be practiced for counteracting their effects. 

Antidote. — The common and most effectual treatment is large pota- 
tions of proof whiskey — half a pint every hour in warm water, with 
a little hartshorn — and continued washing of the wound with hot salt 
and water. Half a pound of salt should be given the patient at the 
outset. This method will cure when the horse is first bitten; but 
after great swellings have taken place, no remedy can be depended on. 
Extensive suppuration and gangrene will probably supervene, followed 
by derangement, blindness, convulsions, and death. 

If the bite is discovered immediately, the better plan would be to 
cut out the entire wound with a sharp knife, and touch the cut thor- 
oughly with lunar caustic. A thimble pressed forcibly upon the 
wound, and bound fast, is said to often extract the poison. 

VIII. Venomous Spiders. 

Spiders abound in every part of the countr}^ but only a very few 
are poisonous or ever bite. There is a species of black spider, with 
a small white spot upon the back, whose bite is nearly as deadly as 
that of the rattlesnake. All of the large black spiders are more or 
less poisonous, and will sometimes resent pressure by biting; but 
none show such a viciousness as the one just referred to, except the 
terrible tarantula of the plains of Texas, etc. This latter monster, 
whose body sometimes attains to a length of two inches, while his 
legs are twice that in length, will attack both man and beast, and only 
the most prompt and energetic treatment can save the victim's life. 



496 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Symptoms. — Horses are sufferers from these insects more frequently 
than is generally supposed. There is a swelling and soreness of the 
nose or legs, for instance, and the owner is apt to attribute it to some 
contusion or strain, when, in many cases, it is really caused by the 
sting of these detestable creatures. The proper course is to examine 
all such swellings, and see whether there is any appearance of a 
wound, or of a nucleus that is fuller and harder than the surrounding 
skin. If so, the case should be promptly treated as for poison. 

Treatment. — Give half a pint of proof whiskey in some warm water, 
with a tea-spoonful of hartshorn in it. Wash the swelling with hot 
salt and water. If the horse has been bitten by one of these spiders, 
a running sore may be the result, in which case it may be washed 
with the Antiseptic Lotion No. 1, or No. 13. 

IX. The Centipede. 

This is a poisonous worm found in the South, wdiere the people 
have corrupted the name to "Santa Fe." It principally infests old, 
rotten logs, and dark, hidden places. Instead of possessing one hun- 
dred legs, as its name implies, it has twenty-four, each of them 
pointed with a hollow thorn, out of which exudes the poison from a 
little bag at its root. The construction of these legs, in fact, is very 
much the same as that of the fangs in the serpent. These venomous 
creatures, while not common, are very deadly. It is generally be- 
lieved that their sting is necessarily fatal, death ensuing in a few 
minutes. Horses and cattle are often killed by them. 

Treatment. — Life might probably be saved by the immediate use 
of proof spirits, l)()th very freely as a drench and externall}' as a w^ash, 
mixed with equal parts of hartshorn. 

X. Stinging Scorpions. 
These arc stranije creatures, inhabitinii:: the same res^ions as the 
centipede. They are everywhere, and infest every place, — houses, 
stables, piles of plank and of wood, and almost every hole and crevice. 
They dart from their retreat Avith almost the swiftness of lightning, 
and, dropping upon some jjerson or animal, seek to hide under the 
clothing or the thickest hair, and, if molested in any manner, are sure 
to sting whatever they may be upon. Their sting is not often fatal; 
it is somewhat more severe than that of a wasp or hornet, and its pe- 
culiarity is that, although hurting but little at first, the pain becomes 
very acute within half an hour afterward. 



POISONS, POISONOUS SNAKES AND INSECTS, ETC. 49 7 

Symptoms. — The symptoms are very peculiar. The lirst sensation 
of ijain is felt under the tongue, which organ remains nearly paral- 
ized for a considerable time. Swelling and heat proceed from the 
region of the wound, with the accompaniments of nausea and giddi- 
ness. In the human being, these symptoms sometimes terminate fa- 
tally, but to what precise degree the sting affects the horse is not so 
well known. That it is poisonous, and exceedingly painful to horses 
and cattle is undoubted ; but as stock runs at large in that country of 
universal grass, opportunities to trace the effects of the sting in their 
cases have not been very favorable. 

Treatment. — In Texas, whiskey is the antidote for all ills. When 
stung by the scorpion, the people have recourse to the beverage at 
once, using it bountifully both internally and externally, and thus ob- 
tain relief in a short time. The treatment in the case of the horse 
will be of the same character. 

XI. Hornets, Wasps, Etc. 

These do not often sting the horse, and ace never very hurtful, so 
that a simple prescription to relieve the pain will be all that is neces- 
sary. The first thing to be done is to press the large end of a thimble 
around the sting, so as to make a deep indentation in the skin, and 
then to wash the place with hartshorn and oil, mixed in the propor- 
tions of three parts of hartshorn to one of oil. Hot salt and water 
is equal to anything ever used as a wash after the sting of bees or 
wasps. 

Potato Bugs. — In a few instances, the potato-fly or bug has poi- 
soned the horse. For this, grease the surface affected, and in two 
hours wash off with soap-suds, and when dry apply the decoction of 
yellow-root, or golden seal. Continue alternating with these applica- 
tions until the horse is quite w^ell. 

XII. Gad-flies, Gnats, Etc. 

This wnll be the proper connection in which to consider the ravages 
of certain insects not really poisonous, but more dreaded by the stock- 
raisers of the Southwest than the creatures that are. 

Tobacco-smoke will keep away gnats, gadflies, and mosquitoes. 
Green pennyroyal placed on the head, under the top of the bridle, 
will also drive them away ; or they may be kept at bay by rubbing 
the body and legs with a handful of the green herb. Any of the es- 
sential oils rubbed on the parts which they especially infest Avill keep 

them away. 

•^ 32 



498 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Buffalo Gnats. — There is a species of large gnat, knovrn as the 
"buffalo gnat," about one-third as large as the common house-fly, 
that is a terror to the horse, mule, and deer of the regions bordering 
the large river swamps of the lower Mississippi, but which does not 
often trouble other animals. It makes its appearance in the first 
warm days of spring, and comes in swarms of millions, which attack 
their victim with a murderous ferocity. They cover his side, flanks, 
belly, breast, head, and neck; the nostrils and ears are literally filled 
with them ; and, unless prevented, they will even crawl up into the 
nasal cavities, so as to fairly strangle the horse to death. It is not 
at all uncommon for them to kill both horses and mules, but happily 
they never attack the human being. The swarms in which they al 
ways move come all at once, and go the same way. They remain 
usually about six weeks, and in one day's time will all -be gone, so 
quick is their disappearance. 

Ordinary coal-oil rubbed in the skin will keep these creatures away. 
So will a mixture composed of tar one part, and lard two parts ; but 
it is a filthy preparation to use. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

RECAPITULATION OP REMEDIES. 



For the reader's convenience, — and especially as this work will fre- 
quently be consulted in emergencies, when every moment is precious, — 
we herewith recapitulate the various prescriptions which have been 
given in the preceding pages. 



jSTO. 1. ANTISEPTIC LOTION. 

Carbolic acid, 1 part, » 

Pure water, 40 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For cleansing and healing 
wounds. Wash or syringe two or three 
times a day. 



No. 2. FISTULA LOTION. 

Corrosive sublimate, 1 part, 
Alcohol, 8 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For treating fistulas. Being so 
powerful, this lotion should only be used 
once in two or three days. Use a glass 
syringe. 



3^ ounce, 
1 pint. 



No. 3. SOOTHING LOTION. 

Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Sugar of lead. 
Pure water, 
Mix. 
Uses. — For bruises, sprains of tendons, 
muscles, etc., to relieve the pain and re- 
duce the fever. Rub on the affected 
part two or three times a day. 



No. 4. COOLING LOTION. 

Muriate of ammonia, 2 ounces, 
Common salt, 2 ounces, 

Nitrate of potash, 1 ounce. 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 



Uses. — Very useful to relieve the fever 
of bruises and sprains. Eub on the part 
two or three times a day. 



No. 5. WEAK STIMULATING LOTION. 

Strong water of ammonia, 1 ounce. 
Soap liniment, 1 ounce, 

Pure water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
USES.^For sprains, biniises, etc., es- 
pecially when the}' do not yield to other 
treatment. Rub on the parts two or 
three times a day. 



No. 6. STRONG STIMULATING LINI- 
MENT. 

Strong water of ammonia, 1 part. 
Water, 1 part, 

Oil of turpentine, 2 parts, 

Olive or linseed oil, 4 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For chronic sprains, etc. Rub 
on twice a day. 



No. 7. FLY BLISTER. 

Powdered Spanish flies, 1 part. 
Lard or vaseline, 8 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — In chronic enlargements or in- 
flammations of bone or muscles, rub on 
carefully, and three days later rub on a 
little grease. This may be used every 
] two or three weeks. 
99 



500 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



No. 8. OIL BLISTER. 

Powdered Spanish flies, 3 ounces, 
Olive oil, 1 pint, 

Oil of thyme, 2 ounces 

Mix the flies aud olive oil to- 
gether, and boil for six hours; 
then add the oil of thj-me, and 
keep in a stoppered bottle. 
Uses. — For chronic swellings, etc. 
Apply the same as No. 7. 



No. 9.— SWEATING BLISTER. 

Powdered Spanish flies, 2 ounces. 
Powdered enphorhium, J^ ounce. 
Spirits of wine, 40 ounces. 

Mix, and set aside for a week to 
■'digest." 
Uses. — For reducing chronic enlarge- 
ments. Apply as directed for No. 7. 



No. 10. MIXED BLISTER. 

Red iodide of mercury, 2 parts, 
Powdered Spanish flies, 1 part. 
Lard, 6 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For reducing chronic enlarge- 
ments. Use as directed for No. 7. 



No. 11. ABSORBENT BLISTER. 

Red iodide of mercury, 1 part. 
Lard, 4 parts. 

Mix. 
Uses. — To reduce chronic swellings. 
Apply as directed for No. 7. 



No. 12. ANTISEPTIC LOTION. 

Corrosive sublimate, 5 grains. 
Pure water, 1 pint. 

Mix, and bathe or syringe the 
wound. 
Uses. — For cleansing and healing 
wounds. 



No. 13. ANTISEPTIC LOTION. 

Corrosive sublimate, 15 grains, 
Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 
Uses. — This is somewhat stronger 
than No. 12. Its uses are the same. 



No. 14. cleansing lotion. 

Solution of chloride of lime, 1 part. 
Pure water, 10 parts. 

Mix, aud syringe or bathe the 
wound. 
Uses. — For cleansiuj; wounds. 



No. 15. astringent ointment. 

Blue-stone (blue vitriol), 1 part, 
Oil of tar, 4 parts. 

Mix. » 
Uses. — For healing wounds of the 
foot. 



No. 16. VTHITE LOTION. 

Sulphate of zinc, % ounce, 
Acetate of lead, 1 ounce, 
Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For washing cuts, etc. Shake 
well before using. 



No. 17. INJECTION FOR FISTULA. 

Chloride of zinc, 2 ounces, 
Pure water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 
Use. — This is suflUciently indicated 
by its name. 



No. IS. PURGATIVE PILL. 

Powdered aloes, K^ ounce. 
Calomel, 1 drachm. 

Vaseline, lard or water, sufficient 

to mix. 

Mix, and make oue pill. 
Use. — To clear the bowels. 



RECAriTULATIO]Sr OF REMEDIES. 



501 



No. 19. TONIC POWDEKS. 

Powdered sulphate of iron, 3 ounces, 

Powdered gentian, 2 ounces. 

Powdered poplar bark, 4 ounces. 

Mix, and divide into twentj^-four 

powders. 

Use. — To tone np the appetite and 

system generally. 



No 



20. MILD PURGATIVE PILL. 

Powdered aloes, )-^ ounce. 
Powdered ginger, 2 drachms. 
Vaseline or lard, sufficient to mix. 
Mix, and make one pill. 
Use. — As a mild laxative. 



No. 21. FEVER POWDERS. 

Anti-febrin, 3 ounces, 

Nitrate of potash, 2 ounces. 
]\Iix, and divide into twenty- 
four powders. 
Use. — For the relief of fever. 



No. 22. RHEUMATISM MIXTURE. 

Salicylic acid, ] i-^ ounce. 

Liquor ammonia acetate, 1 pint. 
Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of rheumatism. 
Give a wineglassful four times a day. 



No. 23. RHEUMATISM POWDERS. 

Powdered colchicum, 2)3 ounces. 

Nitrate of potash, 2 ounces. 

Mix, and divide into twelve 

powders. 

Use. — Same as No. 22. Give one 

powder in the feed, or on the tongue, 

four times a day. 



No. 24. STRONG AMMONIA LINIMENT. 

Strong water of ammonia, 1 ounce, 
Olive oil, 2 ounces. 

Mix; 

Uses. — For stimulating the circula- 
tion, etc., in sluggish parts. 



No. 'lo. IODINE SOLUTION. 

Tincture of iodine, 1 drachm. 
Water, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
Uses. — To cause absorption of any 
sac. It is to be injected into the same. 



No. 26. DIURETIC POWDER. 

Powd. nitrate of potasli, 1}2 ounces, 
Powdered rosin, 14 ounces. 

Mix, and divide into twelve pow- 
ders. 
Uses.— To act on the kidneys, and 
increase the flow of urine. 



No. 27. HEALING POWDER. 

Powdered calamine, 1 part, 
Powdered rosin, 1 part. 

Mix. 
Use. — As a dusting powder for heal- 
ing wounds. 



No. 28. HEALING powder. 

Powdered iodoform, 1 part, 
Powdered naphthaline, 2 parts. 
Mix. 
Use. — Same as No. 27. 



No. 29. MOUTH WASH. 

Chlorate of potash, 14 ounce, 
Pure water, 2 ounces. 

Mix. 
Uses. — To cool a feverish mouth. 



No. 30. INDIGESTION POWDERS. 

Bicarbonate of soda, 6 ounces, 
Powdered gentian, 4 ounces. 
Mix, and divide into twenty- 
four powders. 
Uses. — To correct acidity of the 
stomach. 



502 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



XO. 31. ANTI-FEHMENTATION AND VER- 
MIFUGE MIXTURE. 

Oil of turpentine, ^ ounce, 
Oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Uses. — To neutralize and expel gas 
from the bowels. Give as one dose, and 
repeat, if necessary, in an hour. When 
used as a vermifuge, repeat the second 
day. 



No. 32. anti-fermentation mix- 
ture. 
Strong ammonia water, 3^ ounce, 
Oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Uses.— The same as No. 31. Give as 
one dose, and repeat, if necessary, in an 
hour. 



No. 33. cramp colic drench. 
Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Linseed oil, 1 piut. 

Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of cramps and 
other painful conditions. Give as one 
dose. 



No. 34. cramp colic drench. 

Tincture of opium, 1 onnce. 
Sulphuric ether, 1 ounce, 
Water or oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of cramps and 
other painful conditions. Give as one 
dose. 



No. 35. WIND colic drench. 

Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Oil of turpentine, 1 ounce, 
Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — To relieve cramps, and expel 
gas from the bowels. Give as one dose. 



No. 36. WIND colic drench. 

Extract of belladonna, 1 drachm. 
Aromatic spirits of am- 
monia, 1 ounce, 
Linseed oil, 1 pint. 
Mix. 
Use. — Same as No. 35. Give as one 
dose. 



No. 37. diarrhoea mixture. 

Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Tannic acid, 1 drachm, 

Water, y^ pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — To stop discharges from the 
bowels. Give as one dose. Repeat 
three times a day. 



No. 38. diarrhcea pills. 

Powdered catechu, 3^ ounce, 
Powdered op um, J^ ounce. 
Powdered camphor, y^ ounce. 
Molasses or lai d, sufficient to mix. 
Mix, and divide into four pills. 
Use. — The same as No. 37. Give one 
pill three times a day. 



No. 39. DYSENTERY MIXTURE. 

Perchloride of iron, 2 drachms, 
Tannic acid, 1 drachm. 

Water or milk, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — To check dysentery. Give as 
one dose, and repeat in four hours,, if 
necessary. 



No. 40. ANTI-FETOR MIXTURE. 

Hyposulphite of soda, % ounce, 
Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — To correct the foul odor of cer- 
tain bowel discharges. Give as cue 
dose. 



RECAPITULATION OF REMEDIES. 



503 



No. 41. CONSTIPATION MEDICINE. 

Tincture of mix vomica, 1 ounce, 
Extract of belladonna, 3^ ounce, 
Powdered alum, 2 ounces, 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Use. — To relieve constipation. Give 
a wineglassful in a half pint ,of water 
four times a day. 



No. 42. WOKM POVV^DERS. 

Powdered santonin, 1 ounce. 
Powdered areca nut, 15 grains. 
Mix, and make one powder. 
Use. — For the expulsion of worms. 



No. 43. WORM AND TONIC POWDERS. 

Sulphate of iron, 3 ounces, 
Sugar, 3 ounces. 

Mix, and divide into twenty- 
four powders. 
Use. — For the removal of worms, and 
as a digestive tonic. Give one powder 
three times a day. 



No. 44. PILE OINTMENT. 

Powdered galls, 1 drachm, 
Powdered opium, 15 grains. 
Lard or vaseline, )^ ounce. 
Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of piles or other 
painful local affections. Apply as 
needed. 



No. 45. FEVER MEDICINE. 

Tincture of aconite, 3^ ounce. 

Liquor of ammonia acetate, 4 ounces. 
Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of high fevers. 
Give a dessertspoonful on the tongue 
every two hours. Decrease the dose ac- 
cording to the strength of the patient. 



No. 46. KIDNEY MEDICINE. 

Iodide of potash, 1 ounce, 
AVater, 1 pint. 

Mix, 
Use. — To reduce the excessive dis- 
charge of urine. The dose is a small 
wineglassful every three hours on an 
empty stomach. 



No. 47. ANTI-LITHIC MIXTURE. 

Dilute nitro-hydrochloric 

acid, 2 ounces, 

Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — For dissolving sandy matter in 
the bladder. The dose is a small wine- 
glassful three times a day in a quart of 
water. 



No. 48. KIDNEY STIMULANT. 

Citrate of lithium, 1)^ ounces. 
Divide into twelve powders. 
Use. — To increase the flow of urine. 
Give one powder every four hours in the 
feed or on the tongue. 



No. 49. SOLUTION FOR HYDROCELE, 

ETC. 

Tincture of iodine, 1 ounce, 
Pure water, 3 ounces. 

Mix. 
Uses. — To stop the secretion of fluid' 
in any sac, especially the scrotum. 
Syringe a little into the sac. 



No. 50. LEUCORRHCEA SOLUTION. 
Sulphate of zinc, 1 ounce. 
Tincture of opium, 1 ounce. 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 
Use. — As an injection, to stop the dis- 
charges of leucorrhoea, etc. 



504 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



No. .'ll. INTERNAL ASTRINGENT MIX- 
TURE. 

Acetate of lead, 1 ounce, 
Tincture of opium, 5 ounces, 
Water, to malie 1 pint. 
Mix. 
Use. — To relieve bleeding from any 
internal organ. Give a wineglassful 
every hour, as needed, in a half pint of 
water. 



No. 52. SOOTHING MEDICINE. 

Bromide of potash, 3 ounces, 
Pure water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Uses. — To soothe irritable conditions 
of the sexual organs. Give a wineglass- 
ful every three or four hours, as re- 
quired. 



No. r)3. BELLADONNA LINIMENT. 

Extract of belladonna, y^ ounce, 
Linseed oil, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For the local relief of pain. 
Rub on the painful part. 



No. 54. INTERNAL ASTRINGENT MIX- 
TURE. 

Acetate of lead, 1 ounce. 
Tincture of opium, 4 ounces. 
Water, to make 1 pint. 
Mix. 
Uses. — To arrest bleeding from an}^ 
internal jiart. Give a wineglassful in 
a half pint of water every hour, until re- 
lieved. 



No. 55. COUGH STRUP. 

Syrup of squills, 2 ounces, 

Fluid extract belladonna, 2 ounces, 
Powdered camphor, 1 ounce, 
Honey, ' 3 ounces. 

Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of coughs and 
colds. Give a tablespoonful on th(^ 
longue every three hours. 



No. 56. COUGH PILL. 

Powdered opium, jounce. 

Powdered camphor, 3^ ounce, 

Powdei'ed digitalis, % ounce, 

Powdered liquorice root, \y^ ounces. 
Vaseline, enough to mix. 
Mix, and divide into six parts. 
Use. — For chronic coughs. Roll into 
pill shape (see page 368), and cover 
with thin paper. 



No. 57. COUGH MIXTURE. 

Iodide of potash, 6 drachms, 

Chloride of ammonia, 1 ounce. 
Water, 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Use. — For chronic disease of the 
lungs, bronchitis, etc. Give a wine- 
glassful four times a day. 



No. 58. FEVER MEDICINE. 

Tincture of aconite, 1 drachm. 

Liquor ammonia acetate, 1 pint. 
Mix. 
Use. — For the relief of high fevers. 
Give a wineglassful in a half pint of 
water every four hours. 



No. 50. STIMULATING FEVER MEDI- 
CINE. 

Powdered camphor, 2 ounces, 

Alcohol, 6 ounces, 

Spirits of nitrous ether, 8 ounces, 
Water, sufficient to make 1 quart. 
Dissolve the camphor in the alco- 
hol, and then add the other in- 
gredients. 
LTsES. — For sustaining the strength in 
debilitating fevers. Give a wineglassful 
in a half pint of water every four hours. 



No. 60. MIXTURE FOR HEAVES. 

Spirits of ether, H ounce, 
Glycerine, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
LTsES. — For the relief of broken wind. 
Give one dose in a half jiint of water; 
repeat in one or two hours, if required. 



RECAPITULATION OF REMEDIES. 



505 



No. 61. HEARP TONIC. 

Tincture of digitalis, 2 ounces, 
Tincture of nux vomica, 3 ounces, 
Water, to make 1 pint. 

Mix. 
Uses. — For disease or weakness of the 
heart. Give a wineglassful tliree times 
a (lay. 



No. 62. RHEUMATISM POWDER. 

Salicylate of soda, 4}-£ ounces. 
Divide into twelve powders. 
Use.— For rheumatism. Give one 
powder every four hours. 



No. 63. INTERNAL ASTRIGENT MIX- 
TURE. 

Tinct. of chloride of iron, j^ drachm. 
Linseed oil, 2 ounces. 

Mix. 
Uses. — Give as one dose. Repeat 
three times a day. 



No. 64. SORE LOTION. 

Sulphate of zinc, )4 ounce. 
Carbolic acid, % drachm, 
Glycerine, 3 ounces. 

Mix. 
Use. — For healing local sores. Apply 
twice a day. 



No. 65. eye drops. 

Sulphate of atropine, 4 grains. 
Pure water, 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
Use. — To relieve inflammation and 
soreness of the eyes. Put a dozen drops 
in the eye two or three times a day, with 
a feather or a medicine dropper. 



No. 66. SIMPLE OINTMENT. 
Oxide of zinc, 1 part. 
Vaseline, 6 parts. 

Mix. 
Use. — To heal any abrasion of the 
skin. Apply twice a dny. 



No. 67. LINIMENT FOR SCRATCHES, 
ETC. 

Liquor plumbi acetate, 2 ounces, 
Olive oil, 6 ounces. 

Mix. 
Use.— For cracked heels, etc. Apply 
twice a day on cotton with a bandage. 



No. 68. RINGWORM LOTION. 

Corrosive sublimate, 1 pai't, 
Alcohol, 50 parts. 

Mix. 
Use. — To heal ringworm. Apply with 
a mop every second day. 



No. 69. MANGE MIXTURE. 

Powdered stavesacre, 2 ounces. 



8 ounces, 
1 ounce. 



Lard, 
Olive oil, 
Mix. 
Use— To kill the mange insect. Boil 
the mixture thoroughly and strain. Ap- 
plj" every second day. 



No. 70. MANGE MIXTURE. 

Creosote, }4 ounce, 

Olivie oil, 7 ounces, 

Solution of potash, 1 ounce. 
Mix. 
Use. — To kill the mange insect. Apply 
every third day. 



No. 71. BLOOD MEDICINE. 

Liquor arsenicalis, 3 ounces. 
Acetate of potash, 6 drachms, 
Water, 1 quart. 

Mix. 

Use. — As an alterative for the blood. 
Give a wineglassful twice a day. 



No. 72. LOCAL ASTRINGENT LOTION. 

Sulphuric acid, 1 ounce. 

Sulphate of copper, 2 ounces, 
Water, to make 1 quart. 

Mix. 
Use. — As a local astringent. Apply 
with a mop twice daily. 



506 



THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



No. 73. DISINFKCTING FLUID. 

Permanganate of potash, 3 ounces, 
Water, 1 gallon. 

Mix. 
Uses.— For general disinfecting pur- 
poses,— washing stalls, flushing drains 
etc. ' 



No. 74. DISINFECTING FLUID. 

Crude carbolic acid, 1 pint. 
Hot water, 2 gallons. 

Mix. 

Uses.— Same as No. 73. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 



By E. B. ABERCROMBIE. 



THE ORIGIN, RISE AND PROGRESS OF THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE, "WITH 
SHORT SKETCHES OF THE MOST CELEBRATED HEROES OF THE TRACK AND 
ROAD, AND ALSO A SET OF TROTTING STATISTICS AT ALL DISTANCES, COM- 
PILED AND REVISED UP TO OCTOBER 1, 1892. 

The discoveries which have benefited and delighted the world, have 
not all been invented by the mechanic, or registered in the patent 
office. Away from the smoky city, and the ceaseless roar of steam 
engines and factories, in the farm yard and the great ranch, ex- 
periment and discovery also go hand in hand. The agricultm-ist and 
stockman should be a diligent student of Nature's laws, for only by 
their intelligent application has he any right to succeed. As the. in- 
ventor in the workshop has in his mind the ideal machine, towards 
the completion of which he toils steadily, so the breeder, with rare 
patience, experiments and develops until he has added to the world's 
wealth an absolutely new breed. 

The creation of the American trotter is one of the grandest triumphs 
of the nineteenth century ; it has given us a national amusement, and 
has added enormously to the national wealth. The growth and pro- 
gress of this breed from the initial experiment to the perfect type, is 
a most fascinating study. Each step teaches valuable lessons, and 
as the loyal student advances, the more clearly does he perceive the 
unerring accuracy of Nature's laws. The practical intellect of Amer- 
ican horsemen quickly recognized both the utility and beauty of a 
high rate of speed at the trotting gait. They clearly saw that it 
was the only absolutely useful gait for all purposes and all classes, 
and by the scientific application of the laws of selection and descent, 
in less than fifty years, the time test has been lowered from 2 : 30 to 
2 : 05^, and the bright and shining mark of 2 : 00 is conceded by many 
able judges to be within the legitimate possibilities of the future. 

507 



508 



THE AMERICAN FARMEE's HORSE BOOK. 



The attempt to form a new breed necessitates a multitude of exper- 
iments, and many failures, before a solid foundation is reached. The 
early breeders availed themselves liberally of the blood of the thor- 




oughbred. From this source they obtained speed and stamina, but 
they had to look to other sources for the instinct and desire to trot. 
The original and uatui'al gait being the gallop, the great and ultimate 
object has been so to impress the trotting gait from generation to gen- 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 501) 

eration as to produce colts from whose natures the desire to gaUop 
shall have been erased, and which absolutely know no other gait but 
the trot. As the English thoroughbred was originally created by 
breeding the imported Arab with native mares, so the American trot- 
ter of the early days was produced from the thoroughbred and the 
native American mare, the subsequent progress and perfection of the 
race arising through judicious selection and crossing. Thus the great 
Hambletonian family traces through the paternal line directly to the 
famous imported thoroughbred stallion "Messenger." The Mambrino 
Chief family in the same way goes back to "Messenger." The Claj^s 
find their paternal source in "Bashaw," an imported Barb, and though 
the origin of the Morgan famil}'^ is in doubt, the balance of evidence 
is in favor of the thoroughbred. 

The head of the Pilot family was of unknown breeding; he was 
a French-Canadian, but through his son, Pilot, Jr., and his grand- 
daughters, the dams of Maud S. (2: 08f ), and Jaj^-Eye-See (2: 10), 
and other fast trotters, his blood has become one of the most foraii- 
dable factors in the breeding problem. As the English discontinued 
the use of Arab blood. as soon as the thorouo-hbred had assumed a 
distinct and superior type to the breeds from wdience it had originated, 
so the breeders of the trotter now find that they obtain the highest 
results by cross-breeding the sons and daughters of these leading 

families. 

Rysdyk's Hambletonian. 

When the late William M. Rysdyk purchased the Charles Kent 
mare, with a foal at her side, for the small sum of $125, he little 
'dreamed that he had not only laid the foundation of his owm fortunes, 
but that he had in the person of the foal the founder of the most cel- 
ebrated trotting family in the world. Yet such was the case. Ho 
was placed in the stud at two years old, and covered four mares, three 
of whom had foals ; one of these foals, under the name of Alexander's 
"Abdallah," became almost as famous as his illustrious sire. His 
daughter, Goldsmith Maid (2:14), was undoubtedly the greatest 
campaigner the trotting track has ever seen. Hambletonian 's stud fee 
was advanced gradually but steadil}^ from $25 to $500 the season, and 
his stud services netted his owner over $300,000. He Avas foaled May 
5th, 1849, and died in March, 1876. Hambletonian was sired by 
Abdallah, he by Mambrino, and the latter by imp. Messenger. His 
dam was the Charles Kent mare by imp. Bellfounder; the second 



510 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



dam, One Eye, by Bishop's Hambletonian ; and the third dam was 
Silvertail, by imp. Messenger. He thus traces on both sides of the 
line back to the famous gray horse. Hambletonian sired forty an- 
imals with a record of 2 : 30 or better. His justly renowned son, Dex- 
ter (2:17|), is the brightest gem in his crown. He was the fastest 
trotter of his time, and when he made his record of 2: 17^, at Buf- 
falo, N. y., on August 14th, 1867, it was the champion record of the 




kysdyk's hambletonian. 



track, and so remained till September 2d, 1876, Avhen it was passed 
by Goldsmith Maid, 2 : 14. 

But the crowning glory of Hambletonian is his own prepotency, 
and that of his sons and daughters. His son Volunteer has tAventy- 
nine 2:30 trotters to his credit, including the ilhistrious St. Julien, 
2:11^. Alexander's Abdallah contributed only six to the 2:30 list, 
but the six included that matchless star trotter, the invincible and 
immortal Goldsmith Maid. Dictator is the sire of thirty-two within 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 511 

the magic circle, and in that number will be found Jay-Eye-See 
(2:10), the fastest trotting gelding in the world, and Phallas 
(2:13f), at one time the trotting stallion King. Happy Medium 
ranges well up with his brothers in blood — he adds sixty-six to the . 
2: 30 list, including Nancy Hanks, 2 : 05^, and Maxey Cobb, the great 
stallion which trotted a mile to harness in 2 : 131, and a mile to pole 
with his half-sister Neta Medium, in 2 : 15f . Electioneer, the brilliant 
California representative of the premier trotting family, has sent one 
hundred champion trotters to the front, and as a sire of developed 
speed at an early age, he is the wonder of the age. In the list of 
this remarkable hundred will be found Bell Bird, yearling, 2:26:|; 
Arion, two-year-old, 2 : lOf ; Sunol, three years, 2 : lOJ and 2 : 08| at 
five years old, and Palo Alto, 2 : 08f , the stallion King. 

Harold has thirty-one sons and daughters which have proved his 
speed-transmitting power, and he has the further distinguished honor 
of being the sire of Maud S. (2: 08f ), the acknowledged Queen of 
the trottino; track from 1885 to 1891. To Geora^e Wilkes, however, 
must be conceded the honor of being the greatest son of the mighty 
Hambletonian. He was a very small colt, and the death of his dam 
necessitated his being brought up by hand. He developed early, 
and though a small horse he soon showed that he possessed high 
speed and the best campaigning qualities. The era in which he flour- 
ished was not favorable to a ver}^ fast public record. The large prizes 
of the turf were only to be gained in matches, and consequently the 
great object was to conceal speed as far as possible, not to expose it. 
In spite of this state of affairs George Wilkes left the track for the 
stud with a record of 2 : 22, and a reputation second to no trotter of 
his time. His career in the stud has been one long series of triumphs, 
and when we consider the speed-producing power of his sons and 
daughters, his right to the stud throne must be conceded. 

George Wilkes has seventy-two trotters in the 2 : 30 list, and sev- 
enty-two of his sons are represented in the same roll of honor with 
four hundred and six performers. The fastest son of George Wilkes is 
Harry Wilkes, 2: 13i. 

Hambletonian was the sire of forty 2: 30 performers; he has one 
hundred and twenty-nine sons, which have sired nine hundred and 
fifty-five trotters which are in the same list, and his daughters to the 
number of fifty-nine are represented by seventy-three 2:30 perform- 
ers. As the student of the science of heredity traces this orand 



[)12 THE AMEKICAN FAKMER S HOKSE BOOK. 

genealogical tree from the lordly trunk to its many grand and prolific 
branches, he will find speed on every limb, and records as plentiful as 
leaves. The intelligent reader must, however, carefully bear in 
mind this fact, that while the sire is entitled to receive his full per- 
centage of credit, the work of the dam is equally important, and the 
phenomenal success of the Hambletonian sires is largely due to mares 
of the Star, Clay, Pilot and Mambrino Chief families, with which 
they have been mated. 

Mambrino Chief. 

Mambrino Chief, the head of the second great branch of the trot- 
ting family, was foaled in 1844. His sire was Mambrino Paymaster, 
and he by Mambrino. His dam was of unknown breeding, but of 
great individual excellence. Mambrino Chief died in 1861. Durinir 
his short career in the stud, he contributed six to the 2 : 30 list, in- 
cluding the great campaigner, Lady Thorn, 2 : 18^. Had this been 
his only claim to equine fame, he would have found no place in these 
annals, but his sons and daughters manifested a marvelous speed- 
possessing and speed-transmitting capacity, which, with each succeed- 
ing generation, developed both in quality and quantitv. He has 
twenty-three sons that have produced eighty-seven 2: 30 trotters. In 
that roll of honor there will be found Woodford Mambrino (2: 21^), 
sire of twelve in the 2 : 30 list, including the famous Pancoast 
(2 : 21f ) ; which was sold at the great Glenview sale for $28,000, the 
sire of Patron, with a record of 2 : 14^. 

Mambrino Patchen, another illustrious son, has eighteen 2: 30 per- 
formers to his credit. He has also thirty-seven sons which have sired 
seventy-six in the 2:30 list, and fifty-two daughters which have con- 
tributed an additional fifty-six to the roll. Ashland Chief, another 
son of Mambrino Chief, is the sire of Black Cloud (2: 17^). Clark 
Chief, another son, is the sire of six in the list, including Croxie 
(2 : 19-|), while three of his daughters have the distinguished honor 
of being the dams of Majolica (2: lb), Phallas (2: I'S'i) and Wilson 
(2:16i). 

The daughters of Mambrino Chief have contributed their full share 
in sustaining the honor of the name. Seventeen of his daughters 
have twenty-three of their produce in the list, including such turf 
nuignates as Piedmont (2:17i), Director (2:17), Indianapohs 
(2 : 21 ), Thorndale (2: 22^), Voltaire ( 2 : 20:1) and Onward (2 : 251). 
The trotting turf has a right to be pi-oud of the grent Mambrino 
Chi(>f fainilv. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. ,'513 

The Clays. 
The Clay family of trotters, while not so numerous as either the 
Hambletonians or Mambrino Chiefs, has indelibly stamped its mark 
on the race, and its rich red tide flows in the veins of many of the 
leading heroes of the turf. Andrew Jackson, the founder of the race, 
was a son of Young Bashaw, out of a pacing mare ; he was the sire of 
the great Kemble Jackson, Black Hawdv and Henry Clay. The last 
named was the celebrated son from wdiich the family has been named. 
The dam of Henry Clay was a pacer of unknown pedigree. Henry Clay 
sired Cassius M. Clay No. 18, and from this branch of the family 
high-producing speed has been the rule, and not the exception. In 
his roll of honor will be found George M. Patchen ( 2 : 23 J), sire of the 
famous Lucy (2 : 18^), and three other standard trotters. George M. 
Patchen has to his credit twelve sons which have forty-eight in the 
2:30 list, and five of his daughters have six. Cassius M. Clay, Jr., 
No. 20, another son, has four representatives; Cassius M. Clay, Jr., 
No. 21, sired the famous American Girl (2: 16^); Cassius M. Clay, 
Jr., No. 22, sired Durango (2:23|), and Harry Clay (2:23|), and 
this excellent scion of a noble house has nine sons with twenty-one 
in the list, and twenty-tw^o daughters which are also represented. 
The brightest jewel in the crown of Henry Clay, wdiich shines on 
with increasing lustre, is Dolly Spanker, his famous daughter, the 
dam of George Wilkes (2:22), the phenomenal trotting sire of the 
age. The Clay family has become proverbial for producing excellent 
dams; the blood mixes kindly with the other trotting families, and 
produces the highest speed results. 

The Pilots. 
Pilot was a Canadian horse of no known pedigree, but he ranks 
high as a progenitor of extreme speed, through his celebrated son. 
Pilot, Jr. In the 2:30 list Pilot, Jr., has eight of his produce to 
his credit, but that by no means represents the enormous influence 
which he has exerted upon the highest developed speed of the trot- 
ting; horse of America. In the 2 : 30 record he has six sons and two 
daughters to his credit, the fastest of them being John Morgan, wnth 
a record of 2: 24, but on his sons and his daughters he depends for 
rendering his name illustrious. Baj^ard is the sire of eight in the 2 : 30 
list, and he is also the sire of the dam of Jane R., with a record of 
2 : 20:^. Tattler, another son with a record of 2 : 26, has to his credit 
four; and Clifton Pilot, Pilot Duroc, Roscoe and Woodburn Pilot 



514 THE AMEEICAN FARMERS HORSE BOOK. 

have also added to the list. The speed-producing powers of the sons 
of Pilot, Jr., are meritorious, but thej are overshadowed by the mag- 
nificent capacity of his daughters. 

Miss Eussell, his most famous daughter, was the daiii of Maud S. 
(2 : 08|), and Nutwood (2 : 18f ). He is also the sire of the dams of 
Jay -Eye-See (2:10), Mambrino Gift (2 : 20), Noontide (2:20^), 
Viking (2:19i), Naiad Queen (2:20i), Scotland (2:22^), and 
twenty-six others in the 2 : oO list. Pilot, Jr., mares are highly prized, 
both in the first and second generation, and when crossed upon the 
sons of Hambletonian or Mambrino Chief, they have produced many 
of the leading heroes and heroines of the trotting track. 

Blue Bull. 

The greatest romance in the annals of the trotting horse is the his- 
tory of the great Indiana sire, Blue Bull. An obscure horse, with an 
obscure pedigree (he was by a horse called Pruden's Blue Bull; dam 
Queen, by Young Selim), for years he was consigned to the meanest 
ofiices of the stock farm, and in his early career it was only at rare 
intervals that he had the opportunity to cover even the commonest 
and most cold-blooded of mares. It seenis almovst impossible that 
from such unfavorable surroundings he should have emerged to take 
a front rank among trotting sires. 

It is well within the bounds of wisdom and prudence to say that 
had Blue Bull enjoyed the advantages which George Wilkes and other 
great sires have possessed, he would have been the premier sire of 
the age, and that his sons and daughters would have perpetuated his 
name and fame for generations to come. Had his intrinsic excellence 
as a sire been adequately understood at an early period in his career, 
the perpetuity of the line might have been nuiintained ; as it is, in this 
respect he falls far behind his great rival, George Wilkes. Blue Bull 
is the sire of fifty-four 2 : 30 trotters, at the head of which are the great 
campaigners, Zoe B. (2 : 17:ii:), Bessie (2: 17i), Lena Swallow (2:19), 
and Will Cody (2:19^). He has two sons which have followed in 
his footsteps; George Hall, the sire of Dr. Frank (2:27.^), and 
Prompter, the sire of Apex {2:2{)), and Transit (2:2CU). Blue 
Bull is also the sire of the dams of Lady Elgin (2:25^), Lowland 
Girl (2:2(5), Highland Mary {2:26), Star W. (2:27^), Polka Dot 
(2:28), Highland ISIaid (2:29i), D^ivid E. ( 2 : 29^), Flode Holden 
(2: 29i), and twenty-one other trotters in 2: ^j" or lietter, 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 515 

Minor Families. 

In the minor families of the trotting hor.ses of America may be men- 
tioned American Star 14, who, although he contributed only four an- 
imals to the 2 : 30 list, vet assisted most materially throuo;h his dauo^h- 
ters to increase and perpetuate trotting speed. Thirty-six of them 
are the dams of 2 : 30 performers, including Dexter (2 : 17^), Driver 
(2:19J), Huntress (2:20|), Jay Gould (2:20J), Joe Bunker 
(2:191), Nettie (2:18), Orange Girl (2:20), Powers (2:21), 
Robert McGregor (2: 17 J), Artillery (2:21^), and Jim Jewel 
(2:19^). He is also the sire of eight sons which have produced 
2: 30 performers. Bhick Hawk, by Sherman Morgan, is another sire 
that, if he has not founded a family, has contributed largely to the 
speed aggregate of trotting statistics. He has four in the 2: 30 list, 
and he is the sire of sixteen sons and daughters which have produced 
twenty-five whose names Avill also be found inscribed there. One of 
these sons, Ethan Allen, sired six which trotted in 2 : 30, and nineteen 
of his sous sired sixty-two, and eleven of his daughters foaled twelve 
2:30 trotters; while in the third generation a son of Ethan Allen, 
Daniel Lambert, has thirtv-six of his sons and dauo-hters on his roll 
of fame. Green's Bashaw, a son of Vernol's Black Hawk, sired 
seventeen trotters which complied with the 2 : 30 standard of the 
track. He is the sire of fifteen sons Avhose produce number thirt}^- 
four in the 2 : 30 list, and his daughters are Avell represented. Gov- 
ernor Sprague (2:20^), by Ehode Island (2:23^-), he by White- 
hall, Avas a great trotter, and at the age of live years obtained a rec- 
ord of 2 : 20|, Avhicli at the time he made it, and for years after, Avas 
the fastest record at that age. During the short time he was in the 
stud he Avas the sire of tAventy-eight animals Avhich have records of 
from 2 : 18 to 2 : 29^, and had he -not died in the early morning of his 
stud career, it is reasonably presumptive that he would have made the 
name of Sprague illustrious in the ranks of the foremost trotting 
sires. 

Columbus, Bellfounder, Knox, Morrill, Royal George, Blanco, 
Norman and other sires of lesser nuignitude have contributed their 
quota to the noble breed — a breed, Avhich through tireless patience, 
careful selection, and a faithful application of the hiAvs of heredity, 
has risen superior to the sources from Avhence it sprang, and has de- 
veloped into a grand and distinct type, the most useful horse in the 
Avorld — The American Trotter, 



51(3 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES OF MONARCHS OF THE TRACK. 

In order to show in a brief and practical manner the progress of the 
breed, the reader will now be introduced to the first animal, Lady Suf- 
folk, which trotted below 2 : 30, and he will then be conducted through 
a short series of sketches of each of the great trotting horses which 
have in their time been the monarchs of the track; in this way it is 
hoped he will see in a brief yet intelligent manner the speed progress 
of nearly half a century. 




LADY SUFFOLK, 2 : 2G ^o. 

Lady Suffolk, 2 : 26 1-2. 
Lady Suffolk may be aptly stjled the mother of the 2:30 list, as 
she was the first trotter to head that roll of honor, Avliicli is now the 
recognized standard of the trotting world. She was born in Suffolk 
Count}^ Long Island, in 1833, and was bred by L. W. Lawrence, of 
Smithtown. Her sire was Engineer 2d, son of Engineer, he by imp. 
Messenger. Her dam was by Don Quixote, also a son of imp. Mes- 
scnijer. In color she was a dark iron-m-av, Avhich in old ao'e became 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 517 

almost white. She stood but little if any over 15.1 high. She was 
w^ell made, long in the bod}", with powerful quarters, short cannon 
bones and long fetlocks. She had good shoulders; a light, straight 
but muscular neck, and long ears. Such is a condensed description 
of Lady Suffolk, by the great pioneer trainer and driver, Hiram 
Woodruff. Her formal debut on the trotting track was at Beacon 
course, N. J., on June 20th, 1838, when she was defeated in poor 
time by Black Hawk and Apollo, but two days later, over the same 
track, she defeated Lady Victoria, Black Hawk and Sarah Puff, in a 
race of two-mile heats in 5:15 and 5:17, Her last victor}^ was on 
July 5th, 1852, when she defeated Boston Girl in the second, third , 
and fourth heats in 2 : 35^-, 2 :37 and 2 : 39. 

As a campaigner of marvelous endurance and great gameness she has 
had no superiors, and few equals. Her turf career lasted nearly fifteen 
years, and during that period she measured her speed against most of 
the celebrated horses of the time. She took part in one hundred and 
thirty-eight races, of which number she won eighty-eight in addition to 
receiving three forfeits. A large number of these contests were two 
and three-mile heats, and tvfo of them races of four-mile heats. Her 
famous record is as follows: Four miles to saddle, 11:15, Centre- 
ville, L. I., June 30th, 1840; three miles to saddle, 7:40*, Philadel- 
phia, May 15th, 1841; two miles to harness, 5:03, Centreville, L. L, 
July 14th, 1847; one mile to saddle, 2:26^, Beacon Park, N. J., 
July 12th, 1843; and one mile to harness in 2:26^, Albany, N. Y., 
September 6th, 1844. Lady Suffolk died at Bridgeport, Vt., on 

March 7th, 1855. 

Flora Temple, 2 : 19 3-4. 

The progressive spirit of the trotting turf received a grand stim- 
ulus when 2: 30 w^as passed, and every effort was now made to in- 
vade the domains of Old Father Time; 2 : 20 was now the hoped for 
goal, and when that was reached, good judges of that day believed 
that the speed limit would be attained. How fallacious this idea was, 
is now apparent. The animal destined to first accomplish the de- 
sired feat was Flora Temple, wdiich she did- at Kalamazoo, Mich., 
on October 15th, 1859. Flora Temple was foaled in 1845, and was 
bred by S.Welch, of Oneida Co., N. Y. There is a doubt about her 
sire, but her dam was the daughter of an Arabian horse. Her owner 
was a Mr. Tracy, who at four j^ears old sold her for the paltry sum of 
|13. She passed through several hands, and was at last purchased by 



518 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



George E. Perrin, of New York, for $350, Under his skillful training 
she became track-wise, and developed into the fastest and gamest trot- 
ter of her day. 

Her first regular appearance on the trotting track was at the Union 
course, L. I., on September 9th, 1850; she was a rank outsider, and 
to the surprise of both horsemen and the public she won the second, 
third and fourth heats, in 2 : 55, 2 : 52 and 2 : 49. Whitehall won the 
first heat in 2: 52, and three others competed. In 1851 she was not 




FLORA TEMPLE, 2:193^. 



in training, but in 1852 she trotted in three matches, winning them 
all. The best time made was 2:36. In 1853 she made a wonderful 
campaign — winning seventeen races; defeating such well known fivers 
of that time as Black Douglas, Tacony, Green Mountain Maid and 
Rhode Island, In that 3^ear she "won nineteen races, and lost four 
times. In 1854 she defeated Green Mountain Maid at two-mile heats 
in 5:07 and 5:07. In mile heats, three in five, for $2,000, she 
won a race from Mack in 2:31|, 2:32 and 2:33, and thirteen days 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 519 

later, for the same amount, she finish.ed in front of Jack Waters in 
2:33, 2:39 and 2:37. 

In 1855 she lost her opening match with Sontag, and a match against 
time, and then won her next six engagements in rotation. In these 
grand exhibitions of speed she led to the wire such horses as Lancet, 
Sontag, Lady Franklin, Chicago Jack, Mack, Frank Forrester and 
Hero. In 1856, '57 and '58 she continued her career of victory, 
meeting successfully Lancet, Tacony, Ethan Allen, Kose of Wash- 
ington, Princess, and others. In 1859 she achieved the crowning- 
triumph of her life. On October 15th, at Kalamazoo, Mich., she 
met the California trotter. Princess, and Honest Anse. The purse 
was $2,000, and she won in straight heats in 2:32^, 2 : 22 J and 
2 : 19f ; the first half of the last heat was trotted in 1 : 09. 

The time marlred a new departure in the progress of the trotter, 
and prepared the public mind for still grander achievements. Flora 
Temple long survived her fame, the time of her decease being Decem- 
ber 21st, 1877. 

Dexter, 2:17 1-4. 

The fight between Time and science and breeding now became a 
stubborn one, and it was not till 1867 that the record was again 
lowered, when the mighty Dexter fought the "man with the scythe" 
to a finish, and achieved a great victory. Dexter was foaled in 1858; 
his sire was Rysdyk's Hambletonian ; his first dam was Clara, by 
Seely's American Star, and his second dam was the McKinstry mare, 
the dam of Shark, 2 : 27f . He was the first horse to demonstrate 
the marvelous speed-possessing qualities of the Hambletonian-Star 
families. Dexter won his first regular turf engagement at the Fashion 
course, L. L, May 4th, 1864; he then met and defeated Stonewall 
Jackson, Lad}^ Collins and General Grant, in 2 : 33, 2 : 36 and 2 : 34f . 
In 1865 he met the famous trotting horse. General Butler, in a match 
for $2,000; he again won in straight heats, time 2: 26f, 2: 261^ and 
2 : 24^. On June 2d, to saddle, he met Stonewall Jackson in a race 
of three-mile heats; the first heat was won bj^ Stonewall Jackson in 
8 : 02^-, Dexter winning the next two and the race in 8 : 05 and 8 : 09^. 

On September 7th, of the same year, he again met General Butler, 
the race being trotted to saddle, and again the speedj^ son of Ham- 
bletonian won in 2: 26 J, 2 : 24J and 2:22t^. September 21st was a 
memorable day in trotting annals, for on that date he met and defeated 
General Butler, and that great trotter and still greater sire, George 



520 THE AMERICAN FARMER's HORSE BOOK, 

Wilkes ; time 2 : 25^, 2 : 26^ and 2 : 25. On October 10th, for a purse 
of $6,000, he trotted against 2:19, and won in 2: 18^. Two more 
victories over General Butler completed the list of his triumphs for 
that year. 

His career in 1866 was one blaze of triumph. On June 15th he 
defeated George W. Patchen ; best time, 2:27f. On July 2d he 
won a $2,000 purse from General Butler and Commodore Vander- 
bilt; July 9th, at Suffolk Park, Philadelphia, for a purse of $2,000, 
he again defeated George W. Patchen. Ten days later, at the Fashion 
course, to saddle, he trotted against General Batler and Toronto 
Chief, winning the race in 2: 24^, 2 : 19 and 2 : 22. During the year 
he won twenty-five matches and races, defeating Polio Golddust, 
Silas Eich, George W. Patchen and General Butler, the fastest and 
gamest horses of the season. In 1867 he scored a victory on May 
16th, at Middletown, N. Y., against the queen of the trotting track, 
Goldsmith Maid. The purse was $3,000, and he won in the compar- 
atively slow time of 2:28^, 2:32 and 2:28. He next met the re- 
doubtable Lady Thorne, and defeated her in five matches, two of 
them being two-mile heats; the best time of the two-mile was 4: 51, 
and the best time to harness was 2 : 20^. At Troy, N. Y,, Providence, 
E. I., and Boston, Mass., he trotted for $2,000, $2,500 and $5,000 
respectively, against Brown George and running mate, winning all 
three races. 

On August 14th, 1867, he won the throne of the turf, and trotted 
so fast that not only did he leave all previous records, including his 
own, far behind, but he also placed upon the record a bright and 
shining mark, 2;17:i, which it took six years to overtake and pass. 
He was then purchased by the millionaire horseman, Eobert Bonner, 
and as soon as his existing engagements were completed he was re- 
tired from the turf. It is the firm belief of his admirers that had he 
lived in these days of fast tracks, patent sulkies, and improved 
methods of training, he would have emulated the speed triumphs of 
the fastest trotters of the present day. 

Goldsmith Maid, 2:14. 
With the exception of Occident, which trotted in California in 
2:16f, on September 17th, 1873, and Gloster, which trotted on 
August 14th, 1874, the time record received no severe shock till 
Goldsmith Maid achieved her wonderful record of 2 : 14, on Septem- 
ber 2d, 1874. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 521 

Goldsmith Maid was foaled in 1857; she was by Alexander's Ab- 
dallah, he by Hambletonian ; her dam was by Abdallah 1, the sire 
of Hambletonian, so that on both sides of the line she traced back 
direct to the famous old thoroughbred, imported Messenger. Meas- 
ured by all the standards, Goldsmith Maid was the greatest cam- 
paigner of the trotting track. She was capable of the highest flights 
of speed ; she had indomitable courage ; she could trot from the be- 
ginning to the end of a long season, and for seven years she was the 
undisputed empress of the trotting track. Her full record would fill 
a volume. In her youth she was unreliable, but as she became ac- 
quainted with the trotting track she rapidly rose in racing quality, but 
it was not till July 30th, 1868, that she really proved herself capable 
of holding her own in any company. On that date, at Buffalo, she 
met and defeated Silas Eich, American Girl, Clara and Panic, in a 
five-heat race ; best time, 2 : 24J. 

In the same year she met George Wilkes, George Palmer, General 
Butler and American Girl, and was ao'ain victorious, reducins: her rec- 
ord to 2 : 22^, During the season of 1869 she won the famous $10,000 
purse, at Buffalo, and was successful in seven other engagements. 
In these contests she met such heroes of the track as Lucy, George 
Palmer and American Girl, and had to reduce her record to 2 : 19^. 
The following year, 1870, again found her in the arena, and her 
season was a succession of the most brilliant triumphs. She won 
eleven engagements, and a grand cash aggregate of $48,500. 

The year of 1871 found her with the mantle of invincibility; only 
once did she suffer defeat. She scored ao-ainst that defeat fourteen 
victories, and on September 6th, at Milwaukee, she reduced her record 
to 2: 17. In 1872, sighing for fresh worlds to conquer, she took a 
trip to California, where she defeated the famous champion of the 
Pacific slope, Occident. She won eve-ry engagement of the year, with 
one exception, finishing the season with a record of 2: 16f . 

The season of 1873 was an active one, and victory seemed to be 
still securely perched upon her sulky. She met American Girl, 
Lulu, Camors, Gloster, Judge Fullerton, Sensation and Jim Irving, 
and defeated them without being forced to reduce her record. The 
crowning achievement of her great career was during the season of 
1874, when, at Mystic Park, Boston, Mass., on September 2d, she 
passed her own and all previous records, and trotted in 2: 14, a rec- 
ord which remained at the head of the list until passed by Rarus, 



522 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

2 : 13^, on August 3d, 1878. During the same season she trotted in 
and won twenty races, meeting and defeating the fastest trotters of 
the day. Her season of 1875 was an uneventful one, but that of 1876 
was made memorable by her remarkable duels Avith the stallion king, 
Smuggler. At Cleveland, on July 27th, she won the first and second 
heats in 2 : 15 J and 2:17^, the stallion winning the next three in 
2 : 16J, 2 : 19| and 2 : 17^. But at Hartford, on September 7th, after 
Smuggler winning the first and second heats in 2 : 15^ and 2 : 17, and 
trotting a dead heat in 2 : 16f , she won the race in 2 : 17^, 2 : 18 and 
2 : 19f . During the season she won fifteen races, and her only defeat 
was the one just mentioned. 

With the season of 1876 her career on the turf ended, although 
she trotted again as late as 1879. During her unparalleled career she 
trotted in one hundred and forty-eight races and exhibitions. In 
these contests she trotted four hundred and fifty-six heats, three hun- 
dred and fifty of which were in 2 : 30 or better. Her triumphs ex- 
tended from Maine to California, and every prominent trotting course 
was the scene of her marvelous speed. She was the idol of the pop- 
ulace, and her name will go down in the annals of trotting speed as 
not only the greatest trotter of the period, but as one of the grandest 
of the age. Goldsmith Maid died on September 24th, 1885, and the 
following lines were aptly written on her decease : 

I>f MEMORIAM. 

She has gone to her grave, but we ne'er c;in forget her, 
The marvelous Maid with a mark of '•fourteen;'" 

In the ranks of the tlyers Ave'll ne'er find a better, 
For a gamer and faster there never was seen. 

As we thinli of the track, and read its full story, 
Her name and her fame shall have the fust place. 

Her trots and her triumphs are her's, and its glory; 
She was Queen of the Turf, and Queen of her race. 

Some may smile and say that others have beaten 
The records she made in the fights that are past, 

But her's were no holiday battles, I reckon. 
They were genuine contests from first to the last. 

Yes, we'll drink in remembrance, there ne'er w'as a better 

A faster and gamer there never w^as seen; 
She has left us forever, but we ne'er can forget her, 

The marvelous Maid with a mark of "fourteen." 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER, 523 

Rarus, 2:13 1-4. 

Rarus, the next time-surpasser, and the successor to Goldsmith 
Maid on the trotting throne, was foaled in 18G7, the year in which the 
mighty Dexter made his triumphal mark of 2 : 17|-. He was got by 
Conklin's Abdallah, and his dam was Nancy Awful by Telegraph, and 
his second dam was by Vermont Black Hawk. Under the skillful 
guidance of John Splan, Earns became a great campaigner,, and on 
August 3d, 1878, he passed all previous records, trotting the full mile 
in 2 : lo^. Rarus won his first saddle race at Hornellsville, N. Y., on 
August 21st, 1874; he had six competitors; Barbara Knox won the 
first heat, 2:47, Rarus winning the next three heats in 2:46, 2 : 45 J 
and 2:46|, On October 6th and 7th, of the same year, at Prospect 
Park, he won a scA^en-heat contest in a field of ten, winning the first, 
sixth and seventh heats in 2:32^, 2:30 and 2:30f. He placed two 
more purses to his credit during this season, in one of which he trot- 
ted in 2 : 28J. 

In 1875 he clearly demonstrated that he was a phenomenally fast 
horse. His first victory was at Sandusky, O., on July 22d, which 
he won in slow time. On July 30th, at Cleveland, for a purse of 
$3,500, he defeated a strong field of seven in the fourth, fifth and 
sixth heats, in 2 : 24^, 2 : 23^ and 2 : 26^. At Rochester, N. Y., on 
August 12th and 14th, for a purse of $4,500, he won the first, third 
and fifth heats and race in 2 : 23J, 2 : 26 and 2 : 22. On August 21st, 
at Utica, N. Y., he placed a $4,000 purse to his credit in 2: 25, 2: 23 
and 2:23. At Hartford, Conn., on September 1st, he won the first 
money in 2:20f, 2 : 25^ and 2:22f, and two days later he won the 
$4,000 purse in straight heats in 2: 21i, 2 : 22^ and 2 : 24f . His last 
victory for that year was at Prospect Park, when he defeated Kansas 
Chief and Joker in 2 : 254, 2 : 24^ and 2 : 25. 

In 1876 he won nine engagements of the first class at Buffalo, 
Rochester, Utica, Poughkeepsie, Hartford, Springfield, Fleetwood 
Park and Cincinnati; the total amount of the purses being $23,500. 
In these races he defeated such celebrated horses as General Garfield, 
May Queen, Clementine, Adelaide, Sam Purdy, Bodine, Cozette, 
Great Eastern, Judge Fullerton, Lucille Golddust and Smuggler. He 
opened the season of 1877 on January 14th, at San Francisco, Cal., 
by defeating Sam Purdy in a match to wagons for $10,000; the 
time was 2 : 31^, 2 : 27|- and 2 : 26| ; and during the season he won 
nineteen purses, the best time being at Rochester, N. Y., August 8th, 



524 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

1877, when he defeated Lucille Golddust and Cozette m 2: 17^, 2 : 17^ 
and 2 : 16. The aggregate amount of purse money in these races was 
over $40,000. 

The year 1878 was the crow^ning one of his life. He opened the 
season on May 31st, at Pittsburg, Pa., and closed it at San Francisco, 
Cal., on December 21st. Most of his performances were exhibitions 
or matches against time. At Buffalo, N. Y., on August 3d, he trot- 
ted against the record of Goldsmith Maid for a purse of $500, and 
at the third attempt he broke the record, trotting in 2 : 13^. He made 
a short season in 1879, and was then sold to Robert Bonner for 
$35,000, who at once retired him from the turf. 

St. JuUen, 2 : 11 1-4. 

The attacks upon the time limit from the daj^s of Rarus to the 
present date (1892) have been rapid and successful, but they have 
come in seconds and fractions of seconds, showing that the highest 
possible speed goal cannot be far off. Rarus did not reign as king 
of the trotting track for a long period ; he was dethroned by St. Julien 
on October 25th, 1879, the latter trotting the Oakland track, Cal- 
ifornia, in 2: 12|, a record which he subsequently reduced on August 
27th, 1880, to 2: Hi. 

St. Julien was foaled in 1869 ; he is by Volunteer, son of Rysdyk's 
Hambletonian ; his first dam was Flora, by Sayre's Harry Clay, his 
second dam was the Adams' mare, by Napoleon. St. Julien won his 
first race on August 4th, 1875, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; he had eleven 
competitors, including Great Eastern, which won the first heat, St. 
Julien taking the next three and the race in 2 : 30, 2 : 26^ and 2 : 30|. 

On Auo-ust 7th he ao:ain met and defeated a strono; field, w^innino- 
the first, second and fourth heats in 2:26^, 2:28 and 2 ; 26f , At 
Springfield, Mass., on August 24th, he won first money in a $4,000 
purse, defeating Sister, Queen, Great Eastern, Ed. Chapin, Calmar, 
Goldfinder, Pet and Bay Fearnought in straight heats in 2: 29f , 2 : 28 
and 2 : 29. Three days later he won a $3,000 purse; the contest Avas 
a keen one, and lasted through five heats, St. Julien winning the last 
three and the race in 2 : 22i, 2 : 26^ and 2 : 27. 

At Hartford, Conn., on August 31st, for the same amount, he de- 
feated in straight heats, time 2 : 28i, 2 : 26^ and 2 : 26*, Great Eastern, 
Goldfinder, Dan. Bryant, Queen, Voltaire, Sister, Calmar and Lady 
Bonner. His last victory of the year was on September 2d, at the 
,same meeting, when he again defeated Sister, Great Eastern and 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 



525 



Goldfinder in 2:25f, 2 : 2o| and 2 : 24J; He only appeared once in 
1876, winning a $10,000 match at San Francisco, CaL, on September 
2d, from Dan. Voorliees, in slow time. He was then given a rest of 
two years, but in 1879 he only won two races, one in which he de- 
feated Graves and Nutwood, and one against time, in which he trotted 
in2:12|. 

The following year, 1880, he achieved his greatest triumph. He 
won ten matches, exhibitions and races, including the match against 
time at Hartford, Conn., on August 27th, when, for a purse of $2,500, 
he trotted against 2:llf (the record he had made at Eochester, N. 
Y., on August 12th), and won in 2: 11^. In 1881 and 1883 he won 
six engagements, since which time he has been retired from the turf. 
Although possessed of a world of speed, and with a faster record than 
his predecessors on the trotting throne, he cannot compare with them 
in the number of performances or in campaigning merit. 

Jay-Eye-See, 2 : 10. 

Jay-Eye-See was not the next in the line of succession — to Maud 
S. (2 : 08|) belongs the honor — but as he holds the fastest record for 
a gelding, and did for one day, pass even Maud S.'s record (at that 
time 2 : IO5), he is placed next to the brilliant St. Julien. 

Jay-Eye-See was foaled in 1878; he is by Dictator, he by Hamble- 
tonian; first dam, Midnight by Pilot, Jr.; second dam. Twilight by 
Lexington. He was bought when a yearling for $500, by the Hon. J. 
I. Case, of Racine, Wis., and is still owned by his estate. He made his 
debut on the trotting track at the summer meeting of 1882, in a four- 
year-old stake, meeting Waiting, Breeze, Jim Bowman, Ed. Geers and 
Adelaide. The race ought to have been won by Jay-Eye-See, but it 
was foolishly prolonged into a seven-heat contest, Jay-Ej'e-See win- 
ning the fifth and sixth heats in 2: 22| and 2:23^, though there is 
little doubt that the previous heats were at his command. In the 
seventh heat, as the word was given, he made a very bad break, which 
lost him the heat and race. 

At the autumn meeting, in the same class, he won easilj^, taking 
the first, thh-d and fourth heats in 2 : 22f , 2:19 and 2:19, a per- 
formance which stamped him as the greatest four-year-old of the day, 
and also gave bright promise of the brilliant achievements which were 
yet to come. He opened the season of 1883 at Louisville, }s^y., by 
defeating Charlie Ford in sjtraight heats. His next performance wa.s 
at Morrisania, N. Y,, in a race for five-year-olds, when he distanced 



526 THE AMEEICAN FAKMER'S HOESE BOOK. 

the field in the third heat in 2 : 19f . In the same ckiss, at Washing- 
ton, he won in straight heats in 2 : 19, 2 : 19f and 2 : 23. At Chicago 
he captured the same purse in 2 : 29, 2 : 31 and 2 : 19. At Pittsburg he 
met the famous Majolica, but in order to win he had to trot in 2 : 22^, 
2:17 and 2:17^. 

At Cleveland the illustrious pair fought the, battle over again, Jay- 
Eye-See winning in 2 : 20i, 2 : 16 and 2 : 15^. At Buffalo he boldly 
entered the class for six-year-olds and under, and carried away the 
prize, defeating Director and Clemmie G., to whom he conceded one 
year. At Rochester he trotted against time, 2: 15, and defeated the 
"man with the scythe" in 2 : 14. At Hartford he essayed to beat this 
record, but failed by half a second. The week following, at Nar- 
ragansett Park, he broke his record, trotting in 2:10|. His last 
great engagement of the year was his match with St. Julien, at Fleet- 
wood Park, N. Y., on September 29th. The weather was bad and the 
track muddy, but the wonderful pony defeated his great antagonist 
in straight heats in 2 : 20^, 2 : 18^ and 2 : 19. 

On June 11th, 1884, he essayed to beat 2: IO5, but was defeated, 
his best time being 2 : 11|; but at Providence, R. I., on August 1st, 
for a purse of $2,500, to beat 2 : lOf, he passed all previous records, 
and became the absolute monarch of the turf. His time for the mile 
was 2 : 10. He only retained the honor for one day, as at Cleveland, 
August 2d, Maud S. trotted in 2 : 09f . At Buffalo, on August 8th, he 
trotted a mile in 2 : lOf . At Belmont Park, Philadelphia, on August 
15th, he trotted two heats in 2:11 and 2:101. He also trotted at 
Prospect Park, L., I. Minneapolis, Minn., and Kalamazoo, Mich., 
but in neither case did he approach his great record. 

Maud S., 2:08 3-4. 
Maud S., for six years the empress and queen of the track and 
the road, and the most popular animal of the century, was foaled in 
1874. . She is by Harold ; first dam. Miss Russell by Pilot, Jr. ; sec- 
ond dam, Sally Russell by Boston; third dam, Maria Russell b}'- 
Thornton's Rattler; fourth dam by Stockholder; fifth dam by Top- 
galhmt; sixth dam by imp. Diomed. There is a striking likeness be- 
tween this breeding and that of her famous contemporary, Jay-Eye- 
See. On the sire's side they are both by sons of Hambletonian ; on 
the dam's side they are both out of daughters of Pilot, Jr., and both 
on the maternal side have close up a magnificent foundation of the 
best thorouii'hbred blood. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 527 

Maud S. signalized her first victory on the turf by trotting below 
2:30. At Cincinnati, O., on July 6th, 1880, she won in straight 
heats in 2 : 25, 2: 30 and 2 : 28. On July 24th, at Chicago, she met 
and defeated Trinket in 2 : 19, 2 : 21^ and 2 : 13J. On August 4th, at 
Buffalo, N. Y., Charlie Ford won the first heat in 2:17; she then won 
the next three heats and the race in 2 : 15|, 2 : IGf and 2 : 16^-, defeat- 



MAUD s.,2:08^. 

ing Charlie Ford, Hanuis and Driver. At Rochester, N. Y. . on August 
12th, for a purse of $2,000, she trotted against 2: 12|, and won in 
2:llf. At Chicago, 111., on September 18th, she trotted against 
2: 11|, and won in 2: 10|. She w^as now the Queen of the trotting 
track, and with the exception of one brief day she held the sceptre 
until October 20th, 1891, when Sunol trotted in 2 : 08i. 



528 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

At Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jul}^ 13th, 1881, for a purse of $2,500, she 
trotted against her own record of 2:10f, and won in 2 : 10|. At 
Chicago, 111., on July 23d, she trotted three heats in 2: 21 J, 2: 11^ 
and 2: 11. At Belmont Park, Philadelphia, on July 29th, she trotted 
three heats in 2 : 12, 2 : 13^ and 2 : 12^. On August 4th, at Buffalo, 
N. y., she trotted in 2: lOf, and one week later, at Rochester, she trot- 
ted in 2 : 10|. She retired for the year the heroine of the road, the 
Queen of the track, and undoubtedly the fastest horse at the trotting 
gait in the world. 

The season of 1884 developed the fact that Maud S. had not 
reached her speed limit; her season was made still more sensational 
by her sale from W. H. Vanderbilt, the railroad king, to Mr. Robert 
Bonner, for the sum of $40,000. Speculating horsemen had offered 
Mr. Vanderbilt $100,000 for the mare, but he was determined that she 
should not be submitted to the ignominy of an hippodroraing career; 
he, therefore, determined, to offer her to Mr. Bonner, who makes it a 
rule not to trot his horses for money. The offer was gladl}^ accepted, 
and Maud S. became the stable companion of Dexter (2: 17:^), Rarus 
(2: 13^), and the other equine notabilities which have made the owner 
famous throughout the Union. 

On August 2d she trotted at Cleveland, O., against time. The pre- 
vious day Jay-Eye-See had defeated her record of 2 : lOJ, but it was 
a short-lived triumph, as the marvelous mare trotted in 2 : 09f , and 
quickly regained her throne. Her owner was strongl}^ of the opinion 
that her speed limit had not been reached, and she was specially pre- 
pared for another assault on Old Father Time. The contest occurred 
at Lexington, Ky., on November 11th, in the presence of one of the 
most distinguished and characteristic audiences ever brought together 
on one track, and again the mare cut down her own record, trotting 
the mile in 2 : 09^. In 1885 she electrified the trotting world by again 
defeating her own record, which she did at Cleveland. O., on July 
30th, trotting the mile in 2: 08f , which remained the fastest time on 
record up to October 20th, 1891, when it was passed by Sunol. 

Sunol, 2:08 1-4. 

It has been aptly said that some men are born great, some achieve 
greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Of Sunol it 
can be truthfully said that she was both born great and achieved 
greatness. She was bred and owned by Sentitor Leland Stanford, at 
his famous Palo Alto Farm, Menlo Park, Cal., and was foaled on 



THE A31ERICAX TROTTER. 



529' 



April 14th, 1886. As a vearliiig her education was eoinnieiiced, 
though she did not compete in public, but her flights of speed on the 
private track gave her trainer, Charles Marvin, high hopes that she 
would become one of the bright stars of the trotting turf. She was 
born great, for she was by that champion sire. Electioneer, out of 
Waxana, by General Benton, while her second dam was by the im- 
mortal thoroughbred sire Lexington. Slie thus united the choice trot- 
ting blood of Hambletonian and Clay and the superb blood of the 
thoroughbred. As a two-year-old she made her debut at Los Angeles, 
Cal., on August 10th, 1888, defeating VesoHa in 2:32^ and 2:25. 
On August 23d, at Petal uma, she again led the way to the wire, hav- 




SUNOL, 



ing behind her such good fillies as Margaret S. and Fortuna. The 
time was 2:28^ and 2:2Gf. At San Francisco, on October 19th, 
she trotted against time in 2: 20J, and on October 27th she defeated 
her own record, by trotting in 2: 18, wdiich remained the champion 
two-year-old record until 1891, when the phenomenal Arion reduced 
it to 2:10|. The eyes of the trotting world were now turned upon 
Sunol, and she was even then hailed as the next queen of the turf. 
She made her first victorious appearance as a three-j^ear-old, at Oak- 
land, Cal., on September 5th, 1889, and defeated Margaret S. and 
Lillian Wilkes in 2:21, 2 : 24i- and 2:20. At Sacramento, on Sep- 
tember 12th, she trotted in 2 : 16^. At the same place, on September 

34 " 1 ' r 



530 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

17tli, she met her old competitor, Margaret S., and won in 2: 20i-, 
2: 21f and 2: 18. It was now time that she should show the phenom- 
enal time her friends credited her with, and at Fresno, on October 2d, 
she achieved a record of 2: 13f, and at San Francisco, on November 
9th, 1889, she trotted in 2: 10^, the fastest* time ever achieved by a 
three-year-old. It was now only a question of time and health for 
Sunol to become the queen of the trotting turf, though as a four- 
year-old she did not lower her record. She began the season of 1890 
at Detroit with an exhibition half-mile in 1: 02 J. At Cleveland, O., 
on Jul}^ 31st, she trotted in 2 : 15, and at Buffalo, N. Y., on August 8th, 
in 2 : 11^. At Chicago, 111. , on August 2od, she trotted in 2 : 10|^, thus 
adding the four-year-old championship to her laurels. Her other great 
miles as a four-year-old were as follows : At Philadelphia, Pa. , Septem- 
ber 4th, 2: llf ; Cleveland, O., September 18th, 2: 13^; San Fran- 
cisco, Cal., November 8th, 2: 12J; November 14th, 2: llj, and 
November 15th, 2: 12f. This was indeed a magnificent series of sen- 
sational miles, but her friends were not satisfied, yet full of confidence 
that as a five-j^ear-old she would justify their highest expectations. 
Nor were they disappointed, as on October 13th, 1891, at Stockton, 
Cal., she trotted in 2: 10, and on October 20th she crowned herself 
with glory, and became the queen of the trotting turf by trotting in 
2: 08:j. She thus defeated the time of Maud S., who for six years 
had been the all-aged champion of the trotting gait. Sunol now holds 
the triple honor of the three, four and five years' championships. Slie 
is without doubt the grandest realization of modern breeding science. 
She is owned by Robert Bonner, who, when she was three j^ears old, 
bought her from Senator Stanford for $41,000. 

This, in brief, is the marvelous history of the famous aniinals which, 
from Lady Suffolk to Sunol, have in the space of forty-eight years re- 
duced the record from 2 : 30 to 2 : 08^, and have demonstrated from 
year to year the power of the American trotter to successf ull}^ assault 
and carry the strongholds of Time. 



THE STALLION KINGS. 

The history of the sires of the trotting race is of supreme interest 
to every one interested in this great breed of the equine race. 
Hence, though the leading stallions have never held the trotting 
championship, their speed efforts have always been watched with the 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 531 

keenest interest, and the one with the fastest record has always been 
called the Stallion King. This honor has always been most eagerly 
contended for, and the holder of the sire's crown has always held an 
equal if not a higher rank than the holder of the champion record. 
The first of the great stallion kings was Smuggler. 

Smuggler, 2:15 1-4. 

Smuggler was foaled in 1866 ; he was by Blanco, son of Iron's Cad- 
mus, out of a pacing mare of unknown breeding. His career on the 
turf was not a long one, and he appeared rather as a magnificent 
meteor than as a star of the first magnitude. On August 18th, 1874, 
he won first money in a $4,000 purse at Springfield, Mass., winning 
the second, fourth and fifth heats in 2:27, 2:31 and 2:31. At 
Beacon Park, Boston, Mass., he again won from a good field in 
2:26, 2:27^ and 2:27. At Mystic Park he had to let out an ad- 
ditional link, winning a $10,000 purse in 2 : 23, 2 : 23 and 2 : 20. 

At Belmont Park, Philadelphia, Pa., on July 15th, 1876, he de- 
feated Judge FuUerton, winning the first, third and fourth heats in 
2:17i-, 2: 17 and 2:20. At Cleveland, O., on July 27th, 1876, he 
met Goldsmith Maid, Bodine, Lucille Golddust and Judge Fullerton, 
in a purse of $4,000; Goldsmith Maid won the first and second heats 
in 2:15^ and 2:17^, Smuggler winning the next three in 2:16^, 
2:19| and 2 : 17^. On August 10th, at Rochester, for a $4,000 
purse, he defeated Judge Fullerton, Lucille Golddust and Bodine, in 
2 : 15f , 2 : 18 and 2 : 19^. His record of 2 : 15^ was made at Hartford, 
Conn,, on August 31st, when he won the first heat in that time, the 
race being won by his great antagonist. Goldsmith Maid. The year 
1877 witnessed his last victorious efforts on the turf, and he was sold 
for $30,000, and retired to the stud. For eight years his record w^as 
a bright and shining mark, and it was not till 1884 that his reign was 
terminated by the advent of Phallas. 

Phallas, 2:13 3-4. 

Phallas came of most excellent trotting stock, and his great career 
was foreshadowed in his splendid speed heritage. He was foaled in 
1877, and was bred by Major H. C. McDowell, Woodlake, Ky. He 
is by Dictator; first dam, Betsy Trotwood, by Clark Chief; second 
dam by Ericsson; third dam by Sir William, and fourth dam by Han- 
nibal. When the magnificent speed-producing power of this lineage 
is examined, the reader realizes that by all the laws of heredity Phal- 



532 



THP: AMERICAN FAEMEE S HORSE BOOK. 



las had a right to trot. Dictator, his sire, is a full brother to Dexter 
(2:17|-), and is also the sire of Ja3^-Eye-See (2:10), and Director 
(2:17), and thirty others which have trotted in 2:30 or better. 
Through his first and second dams he obtained tlie blood of Mambrino 
Chief, and back of that he rests on a thoroughbred foundation which 
goes back to imp. Diomed. 

His first public appearance, with the exception of a half-mile heat 
race when four years old, and a public exhibition at the Chicago 




PiiALLAS. 2: ir!?^''. 

Fair of 1882, when he trotted a niilc in 2: 22i, was at Cleveland, O., 
on June 5th, 1883, in the 2 : 34 class. Index won the first and second 
heats on sufferance, Phallas winning the next three in 2: 29^, 2: 22^ 
and 2: 18i; the last heat being won in a jog by twenty lengths. At 
Fleetwood and Island Park he Avas defeated by Majolica, but at Chi- 
cago he redeemed his character. On July 14th he met Index and 
Adelaide in the 2 : 40 class, and defeated them in 2:22^ 2:23 and 
2: 21i, and on July I'Jth, at the same meeting, he was victorious over 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 533 

Majolica, the latter winning the first and second heats, and Phallas 
taking the next three in 2 : 16^, 2 : 20 and 2 : 21-i-. 

On August 1st, at Cleveland, he again lowered his record. Duquesne 
won the first heat in 2 : 19^, and Phallas the next three in 2 : 15^, 
2:21^ and 2: 17^. At Buffalo and Utica he won in slow time, there 
being nothing in either race to make him trot. This was a most mar- 
velous showing. Phallas began the year in the great three minute 
class, and finished it with a record of 2 : 15^. When he went into win- 
ter quarters his friends confidently prophesied that with another year 
on the turf he would easily defeat the stallion record, and assume the 
imperial purple which had so long been worn by the illustrious 
Smufrsler. 

In 1884 he realized the fond anticipations of his friends and the pub- 
lic. On July 14th he met the three fast and famous mares, Catchfly, 
Clemmie G. and Fanny Witherspoon. Clemmie G. won the first heat 
in 2 : lOf. By this time the future king had warmed up to his work, 
and he won the second heat in 2 : 15f ; the third heat he won with the 
most consummate ease in 2: 16f, and it was now determined that he 
should be sent for the great effort of his life. The word was given 
and the grand animal, as if he knew what was expected of him, shot 
from the wire with the speed and regularity of a steam engine. The 
quarter pole was reached in 33f seconds ; this speed was evenly main- 
tained to the half, which was passed in 1 :07^. From the half to the 
three-quarters the excitement was intense, for the faithful watches in- 
dicated that the speed had increased, and the three-quarter pole was 
reached in 1 :40^, the third quarter having been trotted in 33 seconds. 
The last quarter was successfully accomplished in 33^ seconds, and 
the entire mile in 2 : 13f . The wonderful feat had been accomplished, 
and Phallas (2:13f ) was the stallion king, vice Smuggler (2:15^). 

The next great performance of the year was at Belmont Park, 
Philadelphia, where he trotted three heats to beat 2 : 13f ; this he failed 
to do, but he trotted it in 2 : 15, 2 : 14i' and 2 : 15^, a performance which 
has not yet been beaten. In 1885, for a match and added money of 
$15,000, he met and defeated Maxey Cobb (Maxey Cobb, in the 
autumn of 1884, had trotted against time and obtained a record of 
2:13i, thus technically passing the record of Phallas, 2:13f), at 
Cleveland, O., on July 4th. With the first heat the contest was 
over, Phallas making the pace hot from the start. Maxey Cobb trot- 
ted gamelv to the finish, but was defeated by three-quarters of a 



534 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

length. But the heat had told on Maxey Cobb, and in the second heat 
he was defeated easily in 2 : 15f by a full length and a half. In the 
tliird heat Phallas won in a jog in the slow time of 2: 20:|. 

On July 24th, at Morrisania, N. Y., for a purse of $5,000, he met 
his old antagonist, Majolica, and again the son of Dictator won in 
straight heats; time 2: 16, 2: 18f and 2: 26f. Phallas is a deep rich 
bay, 15f hands high, his massive quarters, great muscle j good head 
and general make up shows the perfection of proportion and power. 
He was purchased as a colt by the Hon. J. I. Case, of Eacine, Wis., 
and is still owned by his estate. 

Maxey Cobb, 2 : 13 1-4. 

Maxey Cobb (2: 131) had a short but most brilliant career, and 
when he died at the opening of a great stud career he left behind two 
great performances — his record to harness, against time (2:135), 
and his team record of 2 : 15|. Maxey Cobb was foaled in 1875 ; he 
was by Happy Medium, dam Lady Jenkins, by Nebo. At eight years 
of age he had attained a record of 2 : 20^, but the following year, 
1884, he achieved his crowning triumphs. He had shown in his train- 
ing that he possessed phenomenal speed, and at Hartford, on August 
28th, he trotted against time (2 : 15) and gained a record of 2 : 15^. 

At Providence, R. I., on Sept. 9th, he trotted in a race withZoeB., 
St. Albans, Belle F., Adelaide, Judge Davis and Butterfly, winning 
in straight heats ; the time was 2 : 20i, 2 : 17^ and 2 : 16^. On Sept. 
30th, at the same track, he trotted his famous mile against the time 
made by Phallas (2: 13f ) and accomplished the feat in 2 : 13^. It is 
but fair to say that in trotting against time a horse has a far better 
opportunity of obtaining a fast record than he has in an actual race, 
man}^ good judges placing the difference as being equal to two seconds. 
On Nov. 13th, at Morrisania, N. Y., with his companion, Neta Medium, 
he won the double team championship in 2 : 15f . 

In 1885 they won the team race at Washington Park, Chicago, 
111., in 2: 21* and 2 : 18^. At St. Louis, on Oct. 8th, he won the free- 
for-all stallion race, defeating Bonnie McGregor and Epaulette in 
2; 25|, 2: 20^ and 2: 20i. This was his last race, as he died in the 
sprino- of 1886. Maxey Cobb was a remarkably handsome horse, and 
the fastest son of Happy Medium. With his death the stallion crown 
reverted to Phallas (2: 13f). 



THE AMEEICAN TROTTER, 



535 



AxteU, 2 : 12. 

Maxey Cobb held the stallion championship from Sept. 30th, 1884, 
to Oct. 11th, 1889, when the phenomenal three-year-old stallion AxteU 
trotted in 2 ; 12, and won the double honor of being the champion at 
his age and at all ages. The history of Axtell is a romance, and also 
a valuable lesson to young men, and especially to the small breeder 
and young farmer of limited means. His owner, C. W. Williams, of 
Independence, la., had been a telegraph operator, but with a little 






*-!. 






AXTKLL (3 YEAU.SJ. 2 : 12. 



money left him had started a modest dairy farm, and incidentally de- 
cided on a small breeding venture. He could not afford to bu}^ ex- 
pensive brood mares, nor could he afford to breed to expen.sjve stal- 
lions. But he had studied the breeding problem, and he decided to 
get the blood of Mambrino Chief on the dam side and that of George 
Wilkes on the sire side, and see what the union would produce. He 
bought two mares from a wealthy breeder, who looked upon them as 
culls unworthy of stalls in his harem, and for the sum of $300 Mr. 
Williams bought the future dams of Axtell and AUerton, two of the 



53(5 TllK AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

o-reatest horses which have adorned the American turf. One of the 
mares, Lou, b}^ Mambrino Boy, was sent to the embraces of William 
L., one of the joungest sons of George Wilkes, who was standing at 
a very moderate fee; the result was Axtell. Mr. Williams was his 
own trainer and driver, and before he had given Axtell many lessons 
he discovered that he had a colt right royally endowed with speed. 
He won his first victory as a two-year-old in a race against three-year- 
olds, and trotted three straight heats in 2 : 50^, 2 : 41i and 2:31^. 
At Chicago, 111., on August 23d, 1888, he trotted against time, and 
secured a record of 2 : 24|. At Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 30th, he 
reduced this to 2 : 24; and at Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 1st, he trotted 
in 2 : 23, and retired with this record as a two-year-old. 

His career as a tliree-year-okl was one grand series of superb speed 
triumphs. At Cedar Rapids, la., on June 27th, 1889, he trotted in 
2 : 21^, and live days later, at Minneapolis, Minn., he trotted in 2 : 15^. 
Two davs later, on July 4th, at Independence, la., he trotted in 
2:20^, and on July 11th, at St. Paul, Minn., he again trotted in 
2: 15J. On August 1st, at Cleveland, O., he trotted in 2: 14|. He 
then journeved back west to Chicago, where, on August 22d, he trot- 
ted in 2 : 15^ and the following day defeated Earl McGregor in a 
stallion race in 2:19, 2:14 and 2:20f. At Terre Haute, Ind., on 
Oct. 9th, he trotted in 2: 14^, and on Oct. 11th, at the same track, 
he won his record of 2: 12, which made him the champion trotting 
stallion of the world. 

He also obtained distinction in another way, for after this perform- 
ance he was sold for $l()r),000, the largest price ever paid for a horse 
in the world up to that time. He was bought hy a company, of which 
Mr. W. P. Ijanis, of Terre Haute, is the head, and the young hero 
of the trottino; turf was at once placed at the head of the stud at that 
gentleman's line stock farm, Warren Park. His stud fee was placed at 
•t 1,000, and during the three seasons he has been in service he has 
more than earned his i)nrchase price. Axtell did not long retain the 
championship, but as he is again to enter the arena it is quite possible 
he may again resume the crown; but if ho does not, he will ever re- 
main a star of the first magnitude, and one of the grandest and most 
superb representatives of the trotting race which the continent hag 
yet produced. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 



537 



Nelson, 2 : 10. 
It is a remarkable fact, that though Keiituck}- is the equine State 
of the Union, it has only bred and raised two of the stallion kings, and 
even they were trained and developed in other States. It is true that 
Axtelland Allerton are by Kentucky sires, but their dams were owned 
in Iowa, and in that State they were raised and trained. The stallion 
which was destined to succeed Axtell (2: 12), was Nelson, who was 




NELSON. '2 : 10. 



bred and raised in Maine. Nelson is an exceedingly handsome horse, 
and fills the judge's eye as being a model trotter in style, conformation, 
disposition and speed. He was foaled in 1882, and is by Young 
Rolfe, dam Gretchen, by Gideon; second dam Kate, by Black Hawk. 
He was bred by C. H. Nelson, Waterville, Me., who trained and de- 
veloped and still owns him. As a two-year-old he obtained a record 
of 2 : 50. 



538 THE AMEEICAN TARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

As a three-year-old Nelson materially increased his reputation and 
obtained a record of 2: 26f. He placed four victories to his credit, 
and made his record on Sept. 25th, 1885, at Lewiston, Me. As a 
four-year-old he was in the stud, and as a five-year-old he did not 
make his victorious appearance till Sept. 28th, 1887, at Mystic Park, 
Boston, when he had a walk-over in 2: 31^. On Sept. 30th, at the 
same track, he trotted in 2 : 21^, which was his record for that year. 

The following year was spent in the retirement of the stud, but in 
1889 he burst upon the trotting world as a star of the first mag- 
nitude, and was placed in the list of the most promising candidates 
for the honor of the stallion championship. On July 5th, at Lan- 
caster, N. H., he defeated Home Eule, Eex and Lulu H. ; 2 : 26, 2: 30 
and 2:24^. At Boston, on July 18th, he met T. T. S. Argentine, 
W. K. Olaf, William Kearney, and Captain, winning in straight 
heats in 2 : 21^, 2 :17^ and 2 : 16^. At Buffalo, N. Y., on August 7th, 
he won a sensational race in straight heats in 2 : 15, 2 : 17| and 2: 15, 
defeating a strong field of seven. At Boston he won the celebrated 
stallion race, on Sept. 23d, defeating Alcryon, Pilot Knox, June- 
mont and Granby, in 2 : 18^, 2 : 17^ and 2 : 18f . At the same track, 
on Sept. 27th, he trotted in 2: 18^, 2: 18 and 2: 17i-. His fastest 
performance in 1889 was in the $10,000 stake at Hartford, Conn., on 
August 28th, when he won the first heat in 2: 14^, Alcryon winning 
the race in sloAver time. 

The season of 1890 was for Nelson a brilliant one, and at its close 
he was the stallion champion. At Bangor, Me., on Sept. 3d, 1890, 
he trotted in 2 : 15f , and on Sept. 6th, in 2: 15^ and 2: 15^. At 
Kankakee, 111., on Sept. 24th, he trotted in 2: 12, and tied the stal- 
lion record, at that time held by Axtell, and on Sept. 26th, two days 
later, at the same track, he trotted in 2: 11^, and became the cham- 
pion. At Rushville, Ind., on Oct. 3d, he trotted in 2: llf ; and on 
Oct. 9th, at Terre Haute, Ind., he reduced his time to 2: 11^. He 
closed this trrand series of phenomenal miles at Cambridae Citv, Ind.. 
on Oct. 21 st, by trotting in 2: lOf, and retired for the season in a 
blaze of glory. 

The season of 1891 found him again to the fore, and at Saginaw, 
Mich., on July 17th, he trotted in 2:llf ; and at Detroit, on July 
22d, he trotted in 2 : Hi. On August 5th, he made the same time at 
Freeport, 111. ; and on August 27th, at Independence, la., he trotted 
in 2 : 10^. His next effort Avas at Rockford, 111., in 2 : 12^. On Sept. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 559 

17th, at Grand Kapids, Mich., he trotted in 2 : 14 and 2: 10. This 
time was beaten by Allerton, and as a result the two great sires met 
at Grand Eapids, on Oct. 8th, when Nelson won the first heat in 2 : 13, 
the fastest heat of the race, which was won by Allerton. 

Allerton, 2 : 09 1-4. 

Allerton was one of the two colts (the other one being Axtell) which 
resulted from G. W. Williams' famous venture as a breeder of trot- 
ters on a small scale. Never in the history of trotting horse breed- 
ing did a breeder obtain such magnificent results from so small a 
beginning. Allerton was foaled in 1886. He is by Jay Bird, dam 
Gussie Wilkes, by Mambrino Boy; 2d dam, Nora Wilkes, by George 
Wilkes. As a two-year-old he did not create any sensation, as his 
owner was intent upon placing Axtell prominently before the trot- 
ting world, but he did good work, as the following record will show. 
At Keokuk, la., he won a five-heat race in the last three heats, in 
2:52, 2:50 and 3:10. At Des Moines, la., on September 3d, he 
defeated a good field in 2 : 49^ and 2 : 48^. He won again, at In- 
dependence, la., in 3: Oof and 2:56. At Cedar Rapids, la., on 
September 19th, he trotted in 2:42f, and at Lexington, Ky., on 
November 1st, he trotted in 2 : 40|. 

As a three-year-old he came to the front rank, and though he did 
not show the marvelous speed of his stable companion, Axtell, he de- 
veloped into a campaigner of the first rank, and in fields of his own 
age and in class races against aged horses, came out victorious. His 
first triumph of the season was at Minneapolis, Minn., on July 3d, 
when he won in 2 : 27, 2 : 26|: and 2 : 24^, after Ichi Ban had won the 
first heat in 2 : 29. His next victory was at St. Paul, Minn., on July 
13th, when he defeated a good field in straight heats in 2:29, 2:23 
and 2 : 24f . At Cleveland, O., on August 2d, he went against time 
and trotted in 2 : 20^, and on the following day he reduced that rec- 
ord to 2 : 19. He then returned west to Chicago, and on August 20th 
he defeated a great field, consisting of John W., Victoria Wilkes, 
Poem, Alaric, Sir Goy, Mineola, Nelly Allison and North Anna, in 
the first, second and fifth heats, in 2 : 21|, 2 : 24J and 2: 24. At the 
same meeting, three days later, he defeated another first-class field 
in straight heats in 2 : 24, 2:21 and 2 : 18^. He retired for the season 
with the last named record. 

He began his four-year-old campaign at Independence, la., on Julv 
4th, by trotting against time in 2:18, and the same day reduced it to 



540 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

2: 16f. At Terre Haute, IncL, on October 9th, he defeated Ketch 
and Dick Smith in 2: 20, 2 : 17 J and 2 : 1:")|. At Independence, la., 
on October 2.;d, he trotted in 2: 18i and 2: 14. On October 28th, at 
the same place, he put in two heats in 2: 15 each, and three days later 
he trotted in 2: 14. On November 1st he trotted in 2: 13f, and on 
the same day he reduced his record to 2: 13 J. He was then retired 
for the season, while his friends confidently predicted that before an- 
other season was over he would have achieved the stallion champion- 
ship. 

The campaign of 1891 was a long and brilliant one. He opened it 
at Independence, la., on July 4th, by reducing his record to 2: 13, and 
on August 5th, at the same place, he again reduced it to 2: 12. On 
August 31st he cut it down to 2: 11. On September 12th he trotted 
in 2:10^, and on September 14th in 2: Hi and 2: llj. On Septem- 
ber 4th he trotted in 2 : 10, and on September 17th, Nelson, at Grand 
Eapids, Mich., trotted in the same time, but Allerton only allowed 
him to have the divided honors for two days, as on September 19th 
he trotted at Independence, and again became the undisputed King 
of the trotting sires. On September 25th he trotted in 2:09^, and 
on the same date he trotted to Avagon in 2 :15, which is the champion 
record at that gait. On September 30th he trotted in 2:10^. He 
won two sreat victories against other horses during the season. On 
October 8th, at Grand Rapids, Mich., for a purse of $10,000, he de- 
feated Nelson in 2 : 14^, 2 : 15 and 2 : UH, after Nelson had won the 
first heat in 2 : 13. A week later, on October 15th, at Lexington, Ky., 
he defeated the stallion Delmorsh ( 2 : 11^) in straight heats in 2 : 13^, 
2: 15 and 2: 15|. Such in brief is the history of Allerton, who has 
made o-dod the boast of his owner, who said, when he sold Axtell for 
$105,000, "that he had just as good a one, if not better, still left in 

the barn." 

Palo Alto, 2:08 3-4. 

While Nelson and Allerton were fighting for supremacy in the 
East, Senator Lel^nd Stanford's groat trainer, Charles Marvin, was 
(luietly training the stallion Palo Alto with the view of Avinning the 
stallion championship. When they had closed their campaigns, and 
Allerton with a nnu'k of 2 : 09i had won the crown, Palo Alto was 
sent to the Kite track, at Stockton, Cal., and at once began his as- 
saults on the ramparts of Time. Palo Alto is by Electioneer, dam 
Dame Winnie, bv Planet. He is, therefore, half thoroughbred. 




541 



542 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Contrary to the rule at this famous CaUfornia stock farm, he was not 
sent for a record in his early colt days, and his first appearance on 
the turf was as a four-year-old, when he was sent East, and won some 
notable victories against aged horses. At Kalamazoo, Mich., on June 
29th, 1886, he defeated a large field in 2 : 32J, 2 : 32| and 2 : 33. At 
the same meeting, on July 1st, he was again victorious in 2:30^, 
2:30f and 2:29|. At East Saginaw, Mich., on July 14th, he w^as 
again victorious in 2:22, 2:22 and 2:20^. At Cleveland, O., on 
July 30th, he won in 2: 23, 2:22i and 2: 21. At the same track, on 
September 18th and 20th, he won again. At St. Louis, Mo., on 
October 8th, he defeated such horses as Charley Hogan, C. F. Clay, 
Libby and Albert France, in 2:21, 2:21^ and 2:25. He retired 
for the year with a four-year-old record of 2 : 20^. 

He did not appear in public in 1887 and 1888, but in 1889 he made 
a memorable campaign. He began the season at Najia, Cal., on 
August 13th, and defeated Bay Eose, Jim L. and Victor in 2 : 21J, 
2: 20 and 2: 18. At Petaluma, Cal., on August 29th, he won again 
in 2:20^', 2:21^ and 2:23^. At Oakland, Cal., on September 2d, 
he added another scalp to his belt in 2 : 22^, 2 : 20 and 2 : 19^, and at 
the same place, five days later, he won again in 2 : 18^, 2 : 19^ and 
2:20^. At Stockton, Cal., on September 26th, he defeated those 
two great stallions. Direct and Bay Rose, in 2 : 16^^, 2 : 17| and 2 : 13f , 
and at once loomed up as a formidable candidate for stallion honors. 
At San Francisco, Cal., on November 9th, he trotted in 2: 12h, and 
on November 16th, at Napa, he trotted in 2:12^. This record he 
retired with for the year, just one quarter of a second behind the 
championship, at that time held by Axtell, 2: 12. 

In 1890 he came East, and his first appearance was at Detroit, where 
he defeated those great mares, Houri and Susie S., in 2: 15i, 2:17 
and 2: 16^. At Buffalo, on August 9th and 11th, he met Rosalind 
Wilkes, Jack and Susie S., the pick of the free-for-all brigade, and 
in a race of five heats defeated them in 2 : 16^, 2 : 16 and 2:15. At 
Chicago, on August 20th, he met Jack alone, and won in 2: 18-|, 
2:15 and 2:13. At Philadelphia, on September 4th, he trotted 
against time in 2 : 12J. He failed to beat his record in 1890, and the 
enemies of the thorough-bred-blood-in-the-trotter idea declared he 
had reached his speed limit, but the season of 1891 amply vindicated 
his regal speed powers. 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 543 

On October loth, at the Kite truck, St(x;ktoii, Cal., he trotted 
in 2 : 12|. At the same track, on October 21st, he reduced his record 
to 2 : 11^, and on October 27th, he trotted in 2 : 10. Four days after 
he trotted in 2: 09J, and on November 17th he achieved the crowning 
glory of the trotting sire, by beating all previous stallion records by 
trotting in 2:08f. This stamps Palo Alto as the greatest trotting 
stallion which the world has yet seen. 



OTHER GREAT PERFORMERS. 

In order that the reader may have a more comprehensive idea of 
the immense progress made recently in the science of trotting horse 
training and early development, a brief resume of the best perform- 
ances on the trotting track at the various ages will be here given, 
presenting a complete view of the situation. In 1881, the brown filly 
Pride, on November 5th, trotted in 2:44^, and she was the champion 
yearling of that time. In the same year, on November 14th, the 
brown filly, Hinda Rose by Electioneer, dam Beautiful Bells, trotted 
in 2 : 36J. Morlaine, a bay filly by Norval, oUt of Elaine by Messen- 
ger Duroc, captured the j'^earling championship in 2: 31 J, on Novem- 
ber 12th, 1887, at San Francisco, Cal. But the first yearling to 
enter the 2 : 30 list was the bay colt Freedom by Sable Wilkes, dam 
Laura Drew by Arthurton, who at Napa, Cal., on October 18th, 
1890, trotted in 2:29|. In 1891, Bell Bird by Electioneer, dam 
Beautiful Bells, at Stockton, Cal., on October 21st, trotted in 2: 26^, 
and at the same track, on November 28th, 1891, the chestnut filly 
Frou Frou passed all previous records by trotting in 2:25|. She 
is by Sidney, dam by Buccaneer. 

The progress of the two-year-olds during the past twelve years 
has been phenomenallj^ rapid. In 1880 the brown filh^ Sweetheart by 
Sultan, dam Minnehaha by Bald Chief, on September 25th, at 
Sacramento, Cal., trotted in 2:26^, and then led -her age into the 
2 : 30 list. The bay gelding, Fred Crocker by Electioneer, on Novem- 
ber 20th, 1880, trotted in 2: 25^, reducing the record. On October 
22d, 1881, at San Francisco, Cal., the bay filly Wildflower by Elec- 
tioneer, dam Mayflower by St. Clair, put the record down to 2:21, 
where it stayed till the illustrious Sunol by Electioneer, dam Waxana 
by General Benton, on October 27th, at San Francisco, Cal., reduced 
it to 2:18. November 10th, 1891, the two-year-old colt Arion 





oU 



.THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 545 

startled the world by trotting, at Stockton, Cal., in 2: lOf, and that 
record is not liable to be beaten for some time. Arion is also b}" 
Electioneer, dam Manette by Nutwood, and after his great victor}' 
against time, he was sold for $125,000, the largest price ever paid for 
a horse in the world. 

Of the champion three and four-j^ear-olds it is needless to write, 
as Smiol holds both records in 2: 10|^. But there is one record, the 
race record, which is worthy of special mention, because it is held 
by that famous mare Nancy Hanks, who so recently wrested the 
championship from Sunol. 

Nancy Hanks, 2 : 05 1-4. 

Nancy Hanks is a handsome bay mare by Happy Medium, dam 
Nancy Lee by Dictator. She made her debut on the trotting track 
as a three-year-old, and quickly established a high reputation as a 
fast and game performer. Her first race was at Harrodsburg, Ky., 
July 31st, 1889, when she defeated Bonny Wilmore, Abbie V., Twist,, 
Catherine Leybourne, Minnie Moore and Mattie H., in 2: 27^, 2: 25^ 
and 2 : 25 J. At Danville, Ky., on August 7th, she again defeated 
Bonnie Wilmore and Abbie V., in 2 : 26| , 2:24^ and 2:29^. At 
Sharpsburg, Ky.,in August, she won in slow time, and at Lexington, 
Ky., on September 13th, she was again in front, in 2 : 36i, 2 : 26^ and 
2:30^. At Eminence, Ky., on September 21st, she was again vic- 
torious in the slow time of 2 : 50|, 2 : 46f and 2 : 30. Her last appear- 
ance for that season was on October 14th, at Lexington. Ky., when 
she defeated those two great stallions Bonny Wilmore and Camp- 
bell's Electioneer, in 2 : 26^, 2 : 25f and 2 : 26J. 

As a four-yeai'-old her career was even more brilliant. July 30th, 

1890, she defeated a great field at Harrodsburg, Ky., in 2 : 24^, 2: 20 

and 2 : 19|^. At Nicholasville, K3^, on August 13th, she won again 

in 2:22f, 2:20 and 2:18; at Maysville, Ky., on August 23d, in 

2:213, 2:21| and 2:191; and at Lexington, Ky., on August 28th, 

in 2 : 19^, 2 : 19|^ and 2 : 141. She placed two more victories to her 

credit in that year, and retired for the season without a defeat, and 

with a record of 2:14^. In 1891, when five years old, at Chicago, 

August 20th, she defeated Margaret S. in 2 : 20^, 2:19 and 2 : 12^. 

At Rochester, N. Y., on August 13th, she trotted again in 2:12i-. 

On August 26th, at Independence, la., she defeated the famous Aller- 

ton and Margaret S. in 2:12, 2:12f and 2:12, the fastest three 
35 



546 



THE AMERICAN FARMEK's IIOBSE BOOK. 



heats ever made in a trotting race, and at Eichmond, Ind., on Septem- 
ber oOth, she trotted in 2 : 09. She was then sold to Malcolm Forbes, 

of Boston, Mass., for $40,000. 




Nancy Hanks made her tirst public appearance in 1892, at Behnont 
Park, Philadelphia, when she trotted aj^ainst the track record made 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 547 

by Simol, 2 : llf. This she defeated m 2: 11:|. On August 11th, at 
Grand Eapids, Mich., she tied her record, trotting in 2 : 09. Six days 
later, on August 17th, at Washington Park, Chicago, she trotted in 
2 : 07J, and became the queen of the trotting turf, and on August 
31st, at Independence, la., she reduced this record to 2:05^. In 
one supremely magnificent effort she has cut down her own record 
two seconds, and she has reduced in one season the trottinof record 
three seconds, and has re-crowned herself the Empress of the trotting 
turf. 

EDUCATING YOUNG TROTTERS. 

The education of the trotter should begin with foaling, and the 
teaching be so thorough and yet simple that the "breaking" pro- 
cess has really no beginning or end. Why not have the confidence 
of the colt as well as of the house dog or the pet cat ? The little 
thing is just as susceptible to kind treatment. In a week or two the 
foal should wear a halter, and it is surprising how soon it will learn 
to lead. A bit can be introduced into its mouth at any time after 
weaning, and the youngster can be driven at a tender age. If, how- 
ever, the harness education begins when the youngster is a yearling, 
it will be quite early enough, and if the preparatory handling has been 
of the right kind, the "breaking" will soon be over. I am assuming 
that no reader intends to train and trot his yearlings, but merely 
designs to prepare for speed in the two or three-year-old form. The 
best time for breaking to harness is in the spring of the yearling form. 
If it is designed to hurry the preparation of the youngster; or in the 
autumn, if it is designed to wait for speed until the age of three j^ears. 
Remember that liberal feedino- and care are all essential in orowino- 
big, lusty yearlings. An average sized horse should be fourteen hands 
when a yearling, and fifteen hands when two years old. The ultimate 
size will not be affected, but hy forcing the youngster along, yon 
get the benefit of added size for early handling and work, and leave 
less for growing between the ages of two and five years. Three 
years is as young as any colt should be taxed by trotting races, or 
even a full mile at speed. If this is the idea of the reader, the colt 
will graze all summer as a yearling, and get in addition a liberal al- 
lowance of grain night and morning. This will insure a big, growthy, 
yet mature colt by September, and then the harness education may 
properly begin. There are many plans for breaking and handlino- 



548 THE AMEKICAN FARMER S HOBSE BOOK, 

youngsters, and each is, no doubt, productive of good results. In 
former times, ^vIlou a colt was not broken until three or four years 
of age, it was customary to use force, and generally to harness, the 
pupil beside a steady going, mature horse, to insure against the young 
pupil running away and demolishing things generally. If kind and 
frequent handling begins as soon as the foal is ushered into the 
world, and continues and is supplemented by beginning the harness 
education at the age of about eighteen months, the so-called breaking 
will be very easy, and in a few days the breaker may ride behind his 
pupil with all comfort and safety. 

Let us suppose the colt has been kindly and rationally handled up 
to the autumn of the yearling form. We will now begin the harness 
education, by putting on an eas}^ bridle and letting it remain a few 
hours, to show the colt that the bit is not unpleasant. On the morrow 
we can attach a bridle rein, and passing it over the colt's neck and 
taking a rein in either hand, we walk beside him and guide him 
about for a short lesson. In a day or two more the harness may 
be fitted, and the colt again shown that it is harmless, by being 
allowed to wear it a few hours and thoroughly inspect it. Then, 
having left the halter on when adjusting the harness, snap a lead- 
strap in the halter, and give that to the groom while you step behind, 
and with the reins attempt to drive and guide the colt. Of course, 
he will attempt to turn around and do many other unnecessary and 
unpleasant things, but in that event the groom can lead him, until 
little by little he begins to obey the guidance of the rein. About two 
lessons will complete this, and enable you to drive and guide the colt 
by the reins with but little trouble. 

We are now ready for the next step. ]\Iany hitch with another 
horse or to a stout break cart in an open field, but my plan has been 
to use two long shafts or poles cut in an adjoining woods, and what 
the farmers term saplings. These cut about fifteen or sixteen feet 
long, and trimmed closely of branches are about the diameter of an 
ordinary wagon shaft. At the proper distance I drive an ordinary 
steel staple, and further back insert a common screw hook, the former 
to hold the breeching or side straps and the latter to serve as a hitch 
or wdiifiietree for the trace. 

We arc now ready to harness the colt in the shafts, and it is done, 
leaving the ends of the poles behind the colt to drag upon the 



THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 549 

ground, and having them sharpened so they will penetrate the ground 
if the colt begins to move backward. 

The colt is now in a position where you are complete master of the 
situation. If he kicks .he cannot do harm, and if he lands a foot out- 
side the poles in kicking, he can continue kicking until it is again 
on the inside, and no harm can result. I once broke a mature 
thoroughbred stallion that had never worn a harness, and he soon 
tired of kicking against the air. A horse knows almost as quickly 
as a human being when damage results, and when resistance is with- 
out results. The poles being long, the colt cannot turn about short 
and face you, consequently the only unrestricted movement he can 
make is to move ahead. He may do this hurriedly and tax your 
strength, but in that case it will be necessarj^ to pull his head sharply 
to one side. Do not, by any means, allow him to get away from 3'ou. 
Always be kind, but be firm and make no mistakes. A colt is easily 
ruined by a mistake at such a time. After about one lesson the colt 
will begin to drive and obej^ the rein fairly well. I usually continue 
the use of the poles for several days, often for from two to three 
weeks. As the pupil becomes more tractable, I extend the drives, and 
frequent traveled roads and the vicinity of steam and street cars. It 
is vastly easier to control and overcome the fear when you have the 
colt harnessed in this manner, rather than when he is hitched to a 
vehicle, and able to carry you with him. 

With careful and persistent handling the colt is well av ay wised in 
from ten to fifteen days, and is ready to be harnessed to a vehicle. Of 
course, the wheels in motion and your presence in the seat will have a 
tendenc}^ to alarm the pupil. Have a stout kicking strap adjusted, 
and keep it on for several months. When the colt is securely har- 
nessed to the cart, snap a lead strap in the halter which is worn 
under the harness bridle, and let the groom lead him for an hour, or 
until the fear of the motion and noise of the wheels is overcome. 
Then attach a longer lead strap, and allow the groom or assistant to 
sit beside you. If all goes well it will do no harm, and if your colt 
becomes frightened, and bolts or backs, the groom can step from 
the rear of the cart in an instant, and have the same control he would 
have if leading the colt by halter. 

You now have the colt ready for driving, and a few weeks' edu- 
cation should fit the pupil for the training stable. 



r)50 THE AMEEICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Young horses can take considerable work without injury, if care 
is used, and the work be not too prolonged. Short, sharp brushing 
makes speed, not long, easy jogging. If you have early engagements 
or expect to trot the youngster as a two-year-old, the work could 
begin as soon as the colt is thoroughly broken, and should be con- 
tinued judiciously but steadily under about the following conditions : 

First. — Be sure that every point liable to injury is well protected 
by boots. Do not take any chances of injury from this source, A 
colt is inexperienced and awkward, and liable to make a mistake. 
An injury to the quarter, or knee, or ankle, may necessitate a long- 
let up. Shoe the colt as light as possible, and study carefully his 
action and what weight of shoe will be necessary to balance. A 
skeleton wagon is preferable for jogging, as then you can study the 
action and the effect of uny changes you make. 

Do not make the colt track-sick. Tf you train on or near a track, 
keep away from it all j^ou can. If you have good roads, give the 
colt his work there. About four miles a day is sufficient work, 
and he should not go to the track oftener than twice a week. When 
you are jogging on the road and come to a nice spot brush him out, 
and do this two or three times during every jog. Do not keep up 
an eternal jog, jog, jog; colts do not require it. You must study 
to make speed. Alwaj^s hitch as light as possible ; drawing weight 
is a great drawback to a colt, and it is very liable to induce hitching, 
which, when once acquired, requires time and patience without limit 
to remove. If these few directions are followed, the colt should 
show a gradual but sure increase in speed, if Nature has put any 
speed there. 

DIFFERENT GAITS IN COMBINATION. 

A narrative of the leading track horses of America would not be 
complete without a brief notice of the achievements of the trotter 
with running mate, and of the pacer under the same conditions. The 
running gait being the fastest, the pioneers of the trotting track con- 
ceived the idea that by ingeniously harnessing a good thoroughl)red 
to the pole Avith either a trotter or pacer, so tliat the running horse 
would have to pull the full weiglit of the vehicle and the driver, his 
companion would be able to show the highest possible speed at his 
own gait. The idea was correct, and though the effort is not grace- 
ful, some marvelous speed results ha^e been attained. It must be 




551 



552 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

borne in mind that the records thus made are only good at such ways 
of o-oino-, and do not count ag-ainst reguhir harness records — thus 
Westmont's regular pacing record is 2:13f, while with running 
mate he has a record of 2 : Olf and 2:02. Both records are given. 
It has been erroneousl}' stated that in the first instance he did not 
carry his proper weight. These performances not having been fash- 
ionable, have only happened at intervals, and have never at any 
time become a regular part of the programme of the track. The last 
instances have been the most conspicuous, and as the records attained 
are the fastest, the holders thereof being the champions, a descrip- 
tion of them will give the reader an adequate idea of these modes of 
attaining the highest rate of trotting or pacing speed. 

H. B. Winship and Mate, 2:06. 

H. B. Winship is a black gelding by Aristos, son of Daniel Lam- 
bert : he has a regular trotting record of 2 : 20^, but when tried with a 
running mate he showed a much higher velocit3^ On July 4th and 
;3th, 1884, at Chicago, 111., for a purse of $4,000, he, with running- 
mate, met and defeated Frank and mate. The latter team won the 
first heat in 2: 16, H. B. Winship and mate winning the next three 
heats and the race in 2 : 12f , 2 : 10| and 2 : 09f . Later on Frank and 
mate made a record of 2:08^, and at Providence, E. I., a purse of 
$1,000 Avas offered to II. 'B. Winship and mate to beat this record. 
The great speed contest against time took place on August 1st, 1884. 
The first quarter was accomplished in the astonishing time of 30^ 
seconds, and the half mile was passed in 1:01^. The three-quarter 
pole showed 1 : 34|, and without a break they shot under the wire in 
the then unprecedented time of 2 : 06. The American trotter had again 
carried the stars and stripes into the hostile domains of Old Father 

Time. 

Westmont and Mate, 2; 01 3-4. 

Westmont, the famous pacer, has a regular record of 2:135, but 
his fame will rest upon his greatest performance, 2 : 01 5 with running 
mate, which took place on July 10th, 1884, at the West Side Driving- 
Park, Chicago, 111. The public did not expect a great exploit, but 
when the watches marked 30-^ seconds as the pair shot past the quar- 
ter pole, they realized that they were Avatching a ix'rformance the 
like of which they might never see again. The excitement rose to 
fever heat as Avith even accelerated speed the fiying pair reached the 




('Vs. 

f-H 

o 



P 

o 

H 

o 



554 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

half-mile pole in exactly one minute. Like an animated flash they 
shot round the top turn and at the three-quarter pole the timers 
called 1 : 30. As they came down the stretch it looked for a moment 
as if the bright and shining mark of 2 : 00 would be passed, but the 
thoroughbred falters and Westmont breaks, yet all previous records 
are swept away as the pair pass under the wire in 2:01f. A week 
later, at the Homewood Park, Pittsburg, Pa., Westmont and mate 
attempted to beat this record, but only succeeded in obtaining a record 
of 2: 02. Westmont, after a most brilliant career on the track, was 
sold for a large sura to the millionaire Frank Siddals, of Philadelphia, 
Pa., in whose possession he still is. 



THE PACING HOKSE. 



The pacers of America have labored under many disadvantages. 
As a distinct breed, they have never been recognized. For A^ears on 
the turf and road they were systematically ignored, and the gait was 
generally declared to be unfashionable. It was true that distinct 
lines of blood which came from pacing ancestors were found in some 
of the most fashionable of our trotting sires and dams, but. it was 
not till Maud S. had astonished the world b}^ trotting in 2:08f, and 
Jay-Eye-See in 2 : 10, both with pacing crosses on the maternal side, 
and that Little Brown Jug had paced in 2:llf, and Johnston had 
passed all previous records in harness by pacing in 2:06^, that the 
breeding world woke up to the full value of the pacer as a most 
formidable factor in breeding for extreme speed. 

That the gaits are closely allied does not admit of a doubt. Blue 
Bull, a pacer, stands at the head of the 2 : 30 list with George Wilkes. 
Pilot, a pacer, was the sire of Pilot, Jr., the sire of Tattler and In- 
dianapolis, and of the dams of Maud S., Jay-Eye-See, and other 2 : 30 
trotters. On the other hand, we have Almont, a trotting sire of the 
bluest blood, the sire of Westmont, the marvelous pacer which, 
with a running mate, paced the track of the Chicago Driving Park 
in 2:01v, and would have undoubtedly accomplished it in 2:00, had 
not his thoroughbred companion tired in the home stretch. 

Manager, 2: Hi, is another instance of a great pacer which was 
trotting bred, and the king of the track, Direct, before he ever got 
his pacing recordof 2:0(5, had a trotting record of 2:18^. Of the 
pacers, it is also to be said in their favor that they come to the 



THE PACING HORSE. 555 

limits of extreme speed much earlier than the trotters, and that in 
proportion to their numbers they have produced a far larger number 
of first-class performers. Time, which does justice to all, has vindi- 
cated the pacer. Though heavily handicapped, he has boldly hurled 
the gauntlet into the arena for the crown of speed, and while the 
battle has been a long and obstinate one, distinguished by many 
memorable contiicts and brilliant victories, the final verdict is on the 
side of the pacers. The record and history of all pacers pale before 
the following great champions at this gait, as a short sketch of the 
career of each will show. 

Little Brown Jug, 2 : 11 3-4. 

Little Brown Jug was not the fashionable foal of a patrician 
matron by an illustrious sire, nor was his birth heralded by the 
leading turf papers of the day. He was foaled on April 6th, 1875, 
at Mooriield, Tenn. ; he was sired by Tom Hal; his first dam was by 
Bryants, he by Clipper; his second dam was bj'^ John Eaton, a thor- 
oughbred. In January, 1876, he was sold for $27.50, and in 
August, 1877, he changed hands again for the paltry sum of $45 ; his 
new owner broke him to the saddle, but sold him again for $65. 
He now manifested that speed which was soon to make him famous. 
In the autumn of 1879 he won a race at Huntsville, Alabama, and 
one at Nashville, Tennessee. In the spring of 1880 he was bought 
by H. V. Bemis, of Chicago, and his education for the track was at 
once commenced. He made a short and brilliant season in 1880, 
and the following year he was also successful. At East Saginaw, 
Mich., he won the 2 : 25 class in 2 : 20, 2 : 20 and 2 : 19^. At Toledo 
he closed out his class in straight heats. 

The season of 1881 was one long series of triumphs. At Washing- 
ton, D. C, he won the 2:20 class in straight heats, time 2:24, 
2: 19f and 2:23f. He then went to Philadelphia, and won in his 
class in 2 : 24^, 2 : 21f and 2 : 22. At Fort Wayne, Ind., he won the 
free-for-all, defeating Bay Billy and Mattie Harter. At Jackson, 
Mich., he won the 2: 20 purse, defeating Buffalo Girl and Silas P., 
and at East Saginaw he again defeated Buffalo Girl in the same class. 
He continued his wonderful career till he came to Chicago, when 
he paced three heats in 2:12^, 2: 14J and 2:144-, the three fastest 
heats ever paced or trotted up to that time. At Buffalo he paced 
one heat in 2:13f. At Rochester he defeated his field in straight 
heats in 2:15, 2:15 and 2:16. His culminating performance was 




jj6 



THE PACING HORSE. 557 

at IlarlfonI, C'oun., on Augu.st 24th, when he achieved the three 
fastest straight heats to harness, viz: 2:llf, 2:llf and 2:12^. 
The following year he was sold to Commodore Kittson, of St. Paul, 
Minn., for $17,500. The gallant gelding has not done much since 
on tlie turf, but his memorable three heats remained a brio-ht and 
shining mark to all equine aspirants, until surpassed in 1891 by 
Direct. 

Johnston, 2 : 06 1-4. 

Johnston is certainly a most illustrious member of the pacing 
family ; he may aptly be called the Napoleon of the track. His 
ancestry is obscure, and he relies upon the grandeur of his own per- 
formances in preference to the reflected light of a noble lineage. 
He is by Joe Bassett, dam Gary More by Sweeting's Ned Forrest. 
He was foaled on June 20th, 1877. When five years old he was 
placed in the hands of that veteran of the ribbons, P. V. Johnston, 
to receive his turf education. He had hardly received his pre- 
liminary lessons when his trainer confidently declared that he was 
the fastest horse in the world, and that he would make him trot in 
2 : 30, or pace in 2 : 15, within thirty days. 

For a horse without a record this was a bold prediction, but it was 
warranted by the facts. At the summer meeting of 1883, at Detroit, 
he made his debut and won in straight heats. On July 4th, at 
East Saginaw, he won again. At Kalamazoo he won with even 
greater ease, winning the last heat in 2:17i. At Chicago, on July 
15th, he achieved a most phenomenal victory; he won the first heat 
in 2 : 13, distancing the entire field except Gurgle; in the second heat 
he distanced Gurgle in 2 : 15 J, thus winning the entire jjurse of 
$2,500, and the $500 extra for beating 2:20 in two heats. At the 
same meeting he tied the time of Little Brown Jug, 2 : llf . At the 
October meeting, at Chicago, he paced a mile against time and beat 
the best record at that date (Maud S., 2:10^), accomplishing his 
task in 2 : 10. He was then purchased by Com. Kittson for $20,- 
000, and passed into the hands of that skillful reinsman, John Splan, 
and as the pacing king was barred in the free-for-all purses, his 
performances were principally confined to assaults upon the dominion 
of Father Time. 

At Indianapolis, on June 21st, he opened the ball, and over a 
poor half-mile track, pacing thirty feet from the pole, he made 2:27 
and repeated in 2:29. At Chicago, the scene of his greatest 



558 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

triumphs, on July the 12th, he attempted to beat his own record, but 
the weather and track were not favorable. The preliminary heat 
was accomplished in 2:23f, the second in 2:ll5, and the third in 
2:12^. In the free-for-all pacing race at Buffalo, under the new 
departure clause, he won the first heat and first money in 2 : 12|-, 
Billy S. taking second money in 2 : 141, and Fuller the third in 
2: 17 J. At Kochester he made a grand effort to beat the "man with 
the scythe," and again the state of the track was unfavorable. The 
opening heat was paced in 2 : 20, and the two for blood in 2 : 11^ 
and 2:12^. The partisans of Richball, 2 : 12^, the little bald-faced 
wonder, would not be convinced of the speed superiority of Johnston, 
contending that in an actual race the latter would show the white 
feather. A match was made for $2,500 a side, which came off at 
Chicago, on August 23d, 1884. Johnston won in straight heats by 
from six to a dozen lengths, in 2:13, 2:llf and 2:13^. At 
Minneapolis the contest was fought over again, best two in three, 
Johnston winning; the first and third heats in 2 : 13 and 2: IT^-. 

At Milwaukee, on September 18th, in a trial against time, he 
made 2: Hi, and on September 27th, over the same track, he paced 
a warming-up heat in 2 : 17^, and in the next heat tied his own record 
of 2:10. This performance over an ordinarj' track prepared many 
shrewd horsemen for the grand exhibition that awaited them at 
Chicago, on October 3d, the opening day of the Chicago fall nieet- 
injj;. Johnston was asjain sent to beat the record. For once fickle 
fortune smiled, and all the circumstances conspired to secure suc- 
cess. The weather and track were perfect. No ))reeze disturbed the 
serene sk}^ the track was smooth and elastic, horse and driver were 
eager and determined. The first heat marked 2: 19f. At the word 
for the second heat the pacing cyclone shot from the wire, and 
apparentl}^ without an effort reached the quarter in 32 seconds. 
With a frictionless velocity as rapid as it was deceiving, the half was 
passed in l:03i; around the upper turn this magnificent flight of 
speed was maintained, and at the three-quarter pole the timers marked 
1:35, and now for the first time the famous driver called u[)on the 
king to add to the jewels iu his crown. No voice is heard, naught 
but the li<>htning-like beating of the flying hoofs and Splan's final 
call. The crowd, as he shoots under the wire, at last breaks the 
almost painful silence in a volley of cheers, all previous records are 



THE PACING HORSE. 559 

left away in the distance, and 2 : 06J is hung out as a brilliant chal- 
lenge to the aspirants of both the trottiug and pacing arenas. 

Johnston has since done excellent work, but he has never yet, 
and probably never will, beat the time he made on that memorable 
day. 

Direct, 2:06. 

Direct, in his lineage, is the exact antipodes of his illustrious 
predecessor Johnston. Direct was born in the purple. He is bred 
in the highest trotting lines, being by Director, 2: 17, he by Dictator, 
the brother of the famous Dexter, 2: 17^. His dam is Echora, with 
a trotting record of 2: 23 J, by Echo, who was by Hambletonian 10. 
On both sides of the line he inherits the blood of Hambletonian and 
American Star, while on the sire's side he also obtains the invaluable 
blood of Mambrino Chief. With such a superb trotting lineage he 
should have been a fast trotter, and he became one, for as a four- 
year-old he achieved a trotting record of 2:18^. In order to trot 
fast he had always required to be very heavily shod, and his owner, 
Mr, Monroe Salisbury, of Pleasanton, Cal., conceived the idea that 
by shoeing him very lightly he could be trained to pace, and would 
in all probability be a champion at that gait. He carried out his idea 
in 1890, and in 1891 Direct came East, and in one season captured 
the pacing championship of the turf. He began a season which, 
without exaggeration, is the most memorable in turf annals, at Grand 
Kapids, Mich., on July 2d, by winning the 2:33 class, his fastest 
time being 2: 265. At Cleveland, O., on July 31st, he paced a won- 
derful race, and demonstrated that he possessed great speed and 
high courage. He started in a field of eight in the 2 : 24 class, his 
strongest competitor being the brown gelding, Mascot, who won the 
lirst and second heats in 2 : 16f and 2 : 15|. Direct won the next three 
and the race in 2 : 15^, 2 : 18 and 2: 19f . One week later, on August 
7th, at Buffalo, N. Y., he won the 2 : 24 class in straight heats in 
2 : 17 J, 2 : 22 and 2 : 16^, and again, on August 14th, at Eochester, he 
won in the same class in 2 : 16J, 2: 21 and 2 : 22J. From Rochester 
he went to Chicago, and on August 17th he paced a marvelous race in 
the 2 : 19 class. He won the first heat in 2 : 11^, distancing three of 
his competitors. The second heat was paced in 2 : 13, and one more 
was distanced, while 2 : 18 was the time of the last heat. At the 
same meeting, on August 22d, he paced against time in 2 : 10^. The 
next field of his exploits was the celebrated Kite track, at Inde- 



f)(iO 



THFi; AMERICAN FARMER S JIOKSE BOOK. 



pciidetice, Iowa, and here he again covered himself ^\'ith gloiy. On 
August 25th, in a field of twelve, he won in straight heats in 2: 15^, 
2 : 17 and 2 : 13|. It was the 2 : 30 class, and the purse was $5,000. 
On August 28th he paced against time in 2 : 09^. On August 31st 
he tied that record, but on September 4th he paced in 2:06, thus 
defeating Johnston's 2 : O65, and became the pacing King. At 
Terre Haute he met the great Hal Pointer, 2:09f, the champion 
of the race record, and the three fastest heats. Direct was not quite 
well, and the track did not suit him. He won the first heat in 
2:13, but lost the next three in 2:11, 2 : 10^ and 2:12f. Manj 
judges thought that the little wonder had at last met his match, and 




DIRECT, 2:06. 

that the pacing-bred pacer from Tennessee was the master of the 
trotting-bred pacer from California. But their triumph was short- 
lived. On October 14th, at Lexington, Kv., he paced three great 
exhibition heats in 2:11^, 2 : lOi and 2:10J. But at Nashville, 
Tenn., on October 21st, he again met the brown gelding, Hal Pointer 
by Tom Hal. The meeting was the nun-e memorable, because the 
latter Avas on his native heath, and all Tennessee was there to see their 
favorite win. To their astonishment the}' saw the little black stallion 
defeat him in straight heats in the fastest time on record, 2 : 10, 2 : 09-^ 
and 2:11. By this performance he added the race championship, 
and the fastest heat in a race to his other honors: but he had not 



THE PACING HORSE. 561 

yet achieved his highest honors. At Columbia, Teiiii., on October 
26th, he again met Hal Pointer. The match attracted the attention 
of the turf world, for it was the third of the series of matches 
between these equine giants, and it was admitted that the winner 
would undoubtedly be the fastest and gamest horse at the pacing 
gait that the world had ever seen. The race was worthy of the com- 
petitors and the audience. Direct won in straight heats in 2 : 09, 2 : 08 
and 2:08f. Direct had the unique honor of holding the stallion's 
pacing championship, the fastest heat in a race, and the fastest 
three heats in a race championship. Direct is a remarkable instance 
of the tendency of fast trotters to change their gait, and as he is yet 
a young horse, it is within the regions of possibility and probability 
that he may yet reduce his record and approach still nearer the sup- 
posed limit of speed for the light harness horse, 2 : 00. 

Hal Pointer, 2 : 05 1-4. 

At Washington Park, Chicago, on August 18th, 1892, the already 
famous bay gelding, Hal Pointer, broke the ^vorld's record for pacing 
to harness, placing the mark at 2:05^. This great performer came 
honestly by both his gait and his speed. His sire, Tom Hal, ranks 
as the greatest of all sources of pacing speed, having to his credit 
Little Brown Jug, 2:llf, and Brown Hal, 2:12^. The former 
held for years the championship for the three fastest heats in a 
race, while the latter is one of the greatest stallions that ever ap- 
peared on the track, and is also a sire of speed. Tom Hal has also 
several others to his credit. Hal Pointer's dam was by Knight's 
Snow Heels, also a pacer. The Champion was foaled in 1884, so 
that he is yet a young horse, and may, even yet, in the near future, 
reduce his own champion record. 

His first victory was a very modest one, and, like the first achieve- 
ments of many of the great champions, gave but little promise of 
his future brilliant career. 

October 4th, 1888, when four years old, he paced at Columbia, 

Tennessee, for a purse of $20, and won it in 2:29^, 2:29^, and 

2:34; his first appearance on the turf having been made at the 

same place two days previously in a race in which he won two 

heats in 2 : 32^, and 2 : 33J. But the following year, 1889, he came 

out as a star of the first magnitude. He won his races at Cleveland, 

Buffalo, Hartford, Springfield, New York, St. Louis, and Terro Hauto, 

winning eight races. He was only defeated once, and retired for the 
36 



562 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

season with a record of 2: 13. In 1890 he won all his engagements, 
eight in number, and at Terre Haute, Indiana, he won his race in 
2:09i|, 2: 12f, and 2: 13. This performance gave him the fastest 
heat in a race, and the fastest three heats championships. His 
career in 1891 was one grand march of victory, till at Nashville and 
Columbia, Tennessee, the champion Direct, who had previously paced 
in 2: 06, at Independence, Iowa, defeated him and at the latter place, 
paced in 2 : 09, 2 : 08, and 2 : 08 1. This gave Direct both the heat and 
race championships. The season of 1892 found him again to the 
fore, and in a series of sharp and fast battles he has defeated Direct ; 
and at Chicago, on August 18th, he paced against the champion 
pacing record of 2 : 06, held by Direct, and defeated it in 2 : 05:^. 

THE AMERICAN THOROUGHBRED. 

Unlike the trotter, the American thoroughbred is a strictly im- 
ported article, either directly or from imported parents. The race, in 
fact, is identical with the English thoroughbred, which for over 
a century has provided the world with representatives of this superb 
breed. The English passion for horse racing had made it a national 
amusement over two centuries ago, and before that time the Arabian 
and the Barb had been imported to its shores to cross up the native 
mares. The native stock had been previously improved by importa- 
tions from France and Spain, and with this additional influx of warm 
blood, the English began the foundation of that great breed of horses 
which at length attained to such perfection as to absolutely limit the 
meaning of a word, and be called par excellence thoroughbred. As 
early as 1791 the English stud book was commenced, and it has been 
published with unceasing regularity to the present time. The Amer- 
ican branch of the family has its stud book, ably edited bv Col. S. 
D. Bruce, of which there are four volumes, and no animal is con- 
sidered a simon-i)ure thoroughbred, unless it is registered in the 
stud book, and has a duly authenticated pedigree, traceable through 
the stud l)ook for six generations on both sides of the line. 

The first winner of the English Derby, Di^omed, was imported to 
America, and many other turf heroes quickly followed. Prior to that 
time the wealthy colonists had imported largely of the breed, which has 
grown and prospered in the land of its adoption, until now the fashion- 
able race courses of America fairly vie with those across the Atlantic. 
Nor has the quality degenerated by transplanting, as was pro^'ed when 



THE AMERICAN THOROUGHBRED. 563 

Prioress, Parole, and other good performers, went over and won the 
principal handicaps of the English turf, and later on when Iroquois 
Avon the English Derby, the St. Leger and other great turf events, 
and in the same year the equally famous Foxhall won the grand prize 
of Paris, in France, and the two great autumn handicaps, the Cam- 
bridgeshire and the Cesarewitch, in Enghmd. The thoroughbred is 
a model of courage, stamina, intelligence, proportion and beauty, 
and crossed on cold-blooded animals invariably produces the most 
beneficent results. Appended will be found a table of the highest 
speed attained at all distances. 



564 THE AMERICAN FARMER' S HORSE BOOK. 

FASTEST IIUNNING RECORDS ON THE AMERICAN TURF, UP TO JUNE 1, 

1892. 



MILES. TIME. 

I4. JimMiller, 2, atDeei-Lodge (Mont.), Aug. 16, 1888 0:21K 

%. Fashion, 4, at Lampasas (Tex.), Aug. 15, 1891 0:34 

., S Geraldine, 4, 122 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, Aug. 30, 1889 (straight course) 0:46 

^»" ( April Fool, 122 lbs., Butte (Mont.), July 31, 1891 (circular course) 0:47 

f Britannic, 5, 122 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, Aug. 31,1889 ^ 

I Forclham,6, 115 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, Oct. 4, 1889 I 

%.\ SallieMoClellnnd,2, 115 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, May 31, 1890 j.0:59 

Annie Queen, 2, 110 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, June 12,1891 I 

[.Johnny Heckscher, 2, 115 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, Oct. 10, 1891 J 

5>^ fur. La Tosca, 3, 111 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, June 4, 1891 IM}^ 

%. Fides, 4, 116 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, May 31, 1890 1-103^ 

6K fur. Rinfax, 3, lOeibs., at San Francisco, April 30, 1891 1:20).^ 

7, S Lake View, 5, 123 lbs., at Chicagro (Garfield Park), Aug. 18, 1891 1:26'4- 

-^ ) Bella B., 5, 103 lbs., at Monmouth Park, July 8, 1890 (straight course) 1:23>^ 

fSalvator, 4, 110 lbs., at Monmouth Park, Aus. 28, 1890 (against time, straight course). 1 :35!^ 

! Raveloe, 3, I07 lbs., at Monmouth Park, July 31, 1890 (.straisht course) 1:39^4 

■'•i Racine, 3, 107 lbs., Chicago (Washington Park) June 2S, 1890 1 1.901/ 

(.La Tosca, 3, 105 lbs.. New York Jockey Club, Oct. 10, 1891 j-i.s»>4 

Ini. 70 yds. Whitney, 3, at Chicago (Garfield Park), Aug. 18,1891 ' 1:44% 

,,-,„( Aloha, fi, 110 lbs. , at Chicasro (Washington Park), June 13, 1891 ) , ,.„ 

^ ^■^°- I VanBuren,3, 90 lbs., at Chicago (Garfield Park), Aug. 11, 1881 ( ^■**' 

1)4. Tristran, 6, 114 lbs., at New York Jockey Club, June 2,1891 1:51>^ 

18-16. Tristran, 5, 102 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 4,1890 2:001-5 

... I Salvator, 4, 122 lbs., at Sheepshead Bay, June 25, 1890 2:05 

■^^- \ Banquet, 3, 108 lbs., at Moniuouth Park, July 17, 1890 (straight course) 2:0.3% 

Im. 500 yds. Bend Or, 4, 115 lbs., Saratoga, July 25, 1882 2:10Ji 

1%. Ormie, 4, 105 lbs., at Chicago (Washington Park), .July 7, 1890 ,, 2:20M 

Wt. Firenze, 6, 117 lbs,, at Sheepshead Bay, June 26, 1890 2:.?3 

\%. Hindoocraft, 3, 75 lbs.. New York Jockey Club, Aug. 27, 1889.. 2:48 

\%. Hotspur, 5, 117 lbs., at San Francisco, April .30, 1891 3:00J^ 

1%. Enigma, 4,90 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 15, 1885 3:20 

„ ( Ten Bi-oeck, 5, 110 lbs., Louisville, Mav 29, 1877 (aarainst time) 3:27}^ 

^- \ Wildmoor, 6, Kansas City, Sept. 29, 1882 3:28 

2%. Monitor, 4, 110 lbs., Baltimore, Oct. 20, 1880 3:443^^ 

2M. \ SP""gl5ok, 5, 114 lbs. I Saratoga, Ju]v29, 1875 3:56,'^ 

'^ \ Preakness, a, 114 lbs. ( » > - ' 

2)^. Aristides, 4, 104 lbs., Lexington, Ky., May 13, 1876 4:27'^ 

2%. Ten Broeck, 4, 104 lbs., Lexington, Sept. 16, 1876 4:58^^ 

' 2X. Hubbard, 4, 107 lbs., Saratoga, Aug. 9,1873 4:58?.^ 

3. Drake Carter, 4, 115 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 6, 1884 5:24 

. ( Ten Broeck, 4,104 lbs., Louisville, Sept. 27, 1876 (against time) .'.... 7:15?^ 

*• ( FelloAVcraft, 4, 108 lbs., Saratoga, Aug. 20, 1874 , 7:19>i 

MILES. HEAT RACES. 

%. Sleepy Dick, aged, Kiowa (Kan.), Nov. 24, 1888 0:21Ji-0:22!^ 

,, ( Bogus, aged, 113 lbs., Helena (Mont.), Aug. 22, 1888 0:48 0:48 

^- i Eclipse, Jr., 4, Dallas (Tex.), 1890 ...0:48-0:48-0:48 

^, S KiM,iePease,4, Dallas (Tex.), Nov. 2, 1887 1:00— 1 :00 

'«• \ Sudie McNairy, 3, 98 lbs., Chicago, July 2, 1883 1:02 ■4—1:03 

%. Lizzies., 5, 118 lbs., Louisville, Sept. 28,1883 1 :13V— l'l-^)4 

1. Guido, 4, 117 lbs., Chicago, (Washington Park), .July 11, 1891 \-Am—\ :41 

1.3 in 5. L'Argentinc,6, 115 lbs., St. Louis, June 14, 1879 1:43-1 :44—] :47?i 

1 1-16. Slipalong, 5, 115 lbs., Chicago (Wasliiiiglon Park), Sept. 2, 1885 X-.aO^i-X :4S 

Wf,. Gabriel, 4, 112 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Seiit. 23, 1880 l:.56-]:.56 

V4. Glenmore,5, 114 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 25, 1880 2:10-2:14 

IVt. Bigaroon, 4, Lockport, July 4, 1872 2:42>4-2:43 

2. Miss Woodford, 4, 107>i lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 20, 1884 3:33— 3:31V 

3. Norfolk,*, 100 lbs., Sacramento, Sept. 23, 1865 5:27,*^-D:29>i 

4. Ferid,T,4, 105 lbs., Sheepshead Bay, Sept. 18, 1880 7:23.^—7:41 



A CHAMPION TABLE. 565 

A CHAMPIO]!T TABLE. 

Below will be found a table containing the names, breeding, date 
and place of performance of the champion trotters and pacers in races 
and against the watch ; also whether made on a kite or regulation 
track, up to the present date (Sept. 1st, 1892): 

FASTEST YEARLINGS COLT AND FILLY. 

Frou Frou, bay filly, by Sidney, 2 : 19f , dam Flirt, by Bucca- 
neer; Stockton, Cal., Nov. 28, 1891; time, kite, 2:25|. 

Atha'don, bay colt, by Matadon, dam Athalie, by Harkawaj^; Stock- 
ton, Cal., Nov. 28, 1891; time, kite, 2:27. 

TWO-YEAR-OLDS COLT AND FILLY. 

Arion, bay colt, by Electioneer, dam Manette, b}^ Nutwood; Stock- 
ton, Cal., Noy. 10, 1891; time, kite, 2: 10|. 

Sunol, bay filly, by Electioneer, dam Waxana, by General Ben- 
ton ; San Francisco, Cal., Oct. 27, 1888; time, regulation, 2:18. 

THREE-YEAR-OLDS — COLT AND FILLY. 

Sunol, bay mare, by Electioneer, dam Waxana, by General Ben- 
ton; San Francisco, Cal., Noy. 9, 1889; time, regulation, 2: lOJ. 

Axtell, brown stallion, by William L., dam Lou, by Mambrino Boy ; 
Terre Haute, Ind., Oct. 11, 1889; time, regulation, 2: 12. 

FOUR-YEAR-OLDS COLT AND FILLY. 

Sunol, bay mare, by Electioneer, dam Waxana, by General Ben- 
ton ; Chicago, 111., Aug. 23, 1890; time, regulation, 2: 10|^. 

McKinney, brown stallion, by Alcyone, dam Rosa Sprague, by 
Goyernor Sprague ; Stockton, Cal., Noy. 17, 1891; time, kite, 2: 12^. 

FIVE-YEAR-OLDS COLT AND FILLY. 

Sunol, bay mare, by Electioneer, dam Waxana, b}^ General Ben- 
ton ; Stockton, Cal., Oct. 20, 1891; time, kite, 2:08^. 

Allerton, bay stallion, by Jay Bird, dam Gussie Wilkes, by Mam- 
brino Boy; Independence, la., Sept. 19, 1891; time, kite, 2 : 09^-. 

world's record. 
Nancy Hanks, brown mare, by Happy Medium, dam Nancy Lee, 
by Dictator; Independence, la., August 31, 1892; time, kite, 2:054. 

STALLION RECORD, 

Palo Alto, bay stallion, by Electioneer, dam Dame Winnie, b}^ 
Planet; Stockton, Cal., Noy. "17, 1891; time, kite, 2:08f. 

GELDING RECORD. 

Jay-Eye-See, black gelding, by Dictator, dam Midnight, by Pilot, 
Jr.; Proyidence, R. I., Aug. 1, 1884; time, regulation, 2: 10. 

RACE RECORD TO SULKY. 

Martha Wilkes, bay mnre, by Alcyone, dam by Clai-k Chief: Inde- 
pendence, la. , Aug. 21), ] 892 ; ' 2 : 09^ 



5(J6 THE AMERICAlSr FAEMER's HORSE BOOK. 

TO WAGON RACE. 

Alfred S., bay gelding by Elmo, dam Nora Marshall, bv Union- 
Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 4, 1890; regulation, 2 : 16|. 

TO WAGON TIME. 

Allerton, bay stallion, l)y eTay Bird, dam Gussie Wilkes, by Mam- 
brino Boy; Independence, la., Sept. 25, 1891; 2:15. 

UNDER SADDLE RACE. 

Great Eastern, bay gelding, by Walkill Chief, 330, dam by Con- 
sternation; Fleetwood Park, New York, Sept. 22, 1877; regulation, 

2:15|. 

TEAM RECORD— RACE. 

Maxey Cobb, bay stallion, by Happy Medium, dam Lady Jenkins, 
by Black Jack, and Nata Medium, bay mare, by Happy Medium, 
dam Sally, by Yankee Tricks; Chicago, 111., Sept. 25, 1885; reg- 
ulation, 2 : 184% 

TEAM RECORD TO TOP ROAD WAGON. 

Lynn, W., brown gelding, by Sponseller Tuckahoe, dam Topsy, 
b}^ Eollman Horse, and Clayton, bay gelding, by Harry Clay, dam 
Star Maid, by Jupiter Abdallah ; Fleetwood Park, New York City, 
N. Y., May 28, 1891; time, regulation, 2: 19. 

TEAM RECORD TIME. 

Belle Hamlin, bay mare, by Almont, Jr., dam To}^, by Hamlin's 
Patchen, and Justina, by Almont, Jr., dam Black Golddust, by Ham- 
lin's Patchen ; Independence, la., Oct. 28, 1890; kite, 2:13. 

TROTTER WITH RUNNING MATE RACE. 

Frank, bay gelding, by Abraham, dam by Green Mountain Boy; 
Prospect Park, L. I.,"N.'Y., Nov. 15, 1883 j regulation, 2:08i. 

TROTTER WITH RUNNING MATE TIME. 

H. B. Winship, black gelding, by Aristos, dam Willful, by Colonel 
Moulton; Providence, E. L, Aug. 1, 1884; regulation, 2:06. 

TANDEM TIME. 

Mambrino Sparkle, bay mare, and William H., bay ireldino-; Cleve- 
land, O., Sept. 16, 1886"; regulation, 2:32. 

A TEAM OF THREE TROTTING IN HARNESS ABREAST TIME. 

Belle Hamlin, bay mai-e. by Almont, Jr. ; eTustina, bay mare, by 
Almont, Jr., and Glob(\ ))ay geldino-, by Almont, Jr. ; Cleveland, O., 
July 31, 1891; regulation, ■2": 14. 

FOUR-IN-HAND RACE. 

Frank Eoss, roan gelding; Peculiar, bay gelding (leaders ) ; Eumps, 
bay mare; Tom Bradley, brown gelding (wheelers'): (^leveland, O., 
Sept. 7. 1882; rcguhition, 2 : 40,f ! 



A CHAMPION TABLE. 567 

FOUR-IN-HAND TIME. 

William H., Nobby, Manibrino Sparkle and Clemmie G. ; Cleve-" 
land, O., Sept. 17, 1886; regulation, 2:37. 

TWO MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Steve Maxwell, gray gelding, by Ole Bull, Jr., dam Weaver Mare; 
Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1880; regulation, 4: 48 J. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

Fanny Witherspoon, chestnut mare, by Almont, dam Lizzie With- 
erspoon, bv Wagner; Chicago, 111., Sept. 25, 1885; regulation, 4:43. 

UNDER SADDLE. 

Lady Suffolk, gray mare, by Engineer ; 2d dam by Don Quixote ; 
1840; 4:59. 

THREE MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Huntress, bay mare, by Volunteer, clam Lady Sears, by American 
Star; Prospect Park, L. I., N. Y. , Sept. 21, 1872; regulation, 

7 : 2H. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

Flora Temple, bay mare, by Bogus Hunter, dam Madame Temple, 
by Spotted Horse; Centreville, L. I., N. Y., Sept. 27, 1860; reg- 
ulation, 7 : 33|. 

TO WAGON RACE. 

Prince, chestnut o-eldino;, by Woodpecker; Union Course, L. I., 
N. Y., Sept. 15, 1857; regulation, 7:53^. 

UNDER SADDLE TIME. 

Dutchman, bay gelding, by Tippoo Saib, Jr. ; Beacon Course, N. 
J., Aug. 1, 1839; "regulation, 7:32^. 

FOUR MILES IN HARNESS RACE, 

Trustee, chestnut gelding, by imp. Trustee, dam Fanny Pullen, 
by Winthrop Messenger; Union Course, L. I., N. Y., June 18, 1849; 
regulation, 11 : 06. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

Satellite, chestnut geldino;, by Tempter, dam Lucy; Keokuk, la., 
Aug. 12, 1887; regulation, 10:52^. 

UNDER SADDLE. 

Dutchman, bav aelding, by Tippoo Saib, Jr., dam Nettie; May, 
1836; regulation, iO:51. 

FIVE MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Lady Mac, bav mare, Oakland, Cal., April 2, 1874: regulation, 
13:00. 

TO WAGON RACE. 

Fillmore, chestnut gelding; San Francisco, Cal., April 16, 1863; 
regulation, 13 : 16. 



5r>8 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 
TEN MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Controller, bay gelding, by General Taylor; San Francisco, Cal., 
Nov. 23, 1878 ; regulation, 27 : 23^. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

John Stewart, bay gelding, b}^ Tom Wonder, dam by Harris' Ham- 
bletonian; Boston, Mass., Jmie^ 30, 1868; regulation^ 28:02^. 

TO WAGON RACE. 

Julia Aldrich, chestnut mare; San Francisco, Cal., June 15, 1858; 
regulation, 29:04^. 

TWENTY MILES IN HARNESS TIME. 

Captain McGowan, roan stallion; Boston, Mass., Oct. 31, 1865; 
regulation, 58 : 25. 

THIRTY MILES IN HARNESS TIME. 

General Tajdor, gray stallion, by Morse Horse, dam Flora; San 
Francisco, Cal., Feb. 21, 1857; 1:47.59. 

FIFTY MILES IN HARNESS TIME. 

Ariel, bay gelding; Albany, N. Y., 1846; 3:55.40|. 

ONE HUNDRED MILES IN HARNESS TIME. 

Conqueror, bay gelding, by Bellfounder (Latourette's), dam Lady 
McClaire, by imp. Bellfounder; Centreyille, L. I., Nov. 12, 1853; 
8:55.53. 

FASTEST THREE HEATS IN A RACE. 

Nancy Hanks, brown mare, by Happy Medium, defeating Allerton ; 
Independence, Li., Aug. 27, 1891; kite, 2 : 12— 2 : 12i— 2^12. 

PACERS. 

FASTEST YEARLING COLT AND FILLY. 

Fausta, bay filly, by Sidney, dam Faustina, by Crown Point ; Stock- 
ton, Cal., Nov. 28, 1891; time, kite, 2:23|. 

Rollo, gray gelding, by Jerome Eddy, dam Grey Betsy, by Mam- 
brino Patcheu ; Independence, la., Oct. 27, 1891; time, kite, 2:28^. 

TWO-YEAR-OLDS COLT AND FILLY. 

Manager, gra}^ stallion, by Nutwood, dam Carrie, by George 
Wilkes; Independence, la., Aug. 29, 1890; time, kite, 2: 16^. 

Alice AVilices, bay filly, by Gambctta Wilkes, dam Alice, by On- 
ward; Cambridge City, Ind.', Sept. 26, 1891; regulation, 2: 22^. 

TFIUFE-YEAR-OLDS COI/P AND FILLY. 

Manager, gray stallion, by Nutwood, dam Carrie, by George 
Wilkes;" Independence, la., Sept. 19; time, kite, 2:11^. 

Yolo Maid, bay mare, by Alexander Button, dam jNIolly, by St. 
Chiir; San Fran('isc(», Cal., Oct. 13, 1888; race, regulation, 2:14. 



A CHAMPIOX TABLE. 5<)'.) 

FOUR-YEAR-OLDS. 

Strong Boy, gray stallion, by Allendorf, dam by Arnold : Lexington, 
Ky., Oct. 17, 1891; time, regulation, 2:12. 

Gold Leaf, chestnut mare, hy Sidney, dam Fern Leaf, by Flaxtail ; 
Napa, Cal., Aug. 17, 1889; time, regulation, 2:11^. 

avorld's record. 
Hal Pointer, nay gelding, by Tom Ilal, dam ])y Snow Heels; Chi- 
cago, 111., Aug. 18, 1892; time, regulation, 2 : Oo^. 

stallion record. 
Direct, black stallion, by Director, 2:17, dam Echora, by Echo; 
Independence, la., Sept. 4, 1891; time, kite, 2:06. 

GELDING RECORD. 

Johnston, bay gelding, b}^ Joe Bassett, dam by Swetting's Edwin 
Forrest; Chicago, 111., Oct. 3, 1884; time, regulation, 2 : 06^. 

Jay-Eye-See, bhick gelding, by Dictator, dam Midnight, hy. Pilot, 
Jr.; Independence, la., Aug. 2(3, 1892; 2:06^. 

mare's record. 
Cricket, bay mare, bv Steinway, dam by Dolphin ; Independence, 
la., Aug. 30, 1890; time, kite, 2: 10. 

RACE RECORD TO SULKY. 

Flying Jib, bay gelding, by Alcona, dam b}^ Middletow^n ; Inde- 
pendence, la., August 31 : 2 : 07. 

TO AVAGON RACE. 

Johnston, ba}^ gelding, by Joe Bassett; Detroit, Mich., July 21; 
regulation, 2:14^. 

TO WAGON — TIME. 

Roy Wilkes, by Adrian Wilkes, dam Flora, by Blue Bull; Inde- 
pendence, la., Oct. 30, 1891; kite, 2: 13. 

UNDER SADDLE. 

Johnston, bay gelding, by Joe Bassett; Cleveland, O., Aug. 3, 
1888; regulation, ^2: 13." 

TEAM EECORD TIME. 

Daisy D., brown mare, by Black Star, and Silvertail, gray gelding, 
by Tempest, Jr. ; East Saginaw, Mich., July 15, 1887; reoulation, 
2:18^. 

PACER, WITH RUNNING MATE TIME. 

Westmont, chestnut gelding, by Almont, dam Annie, by Cottrill 
Morgan; Chicago, 111., July 10, 1884; regulation, 2:01^. 

TWO MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Defiance, bay gelding, by Chieftain, and Longfellow, chestmit geld- 
ing, by Bed Bill, dead heat; Sacramento, Cal., Sept. 2(5, 1872; reg- 
ulation, 4 : 47f . 



570 THE AMEEICAN FAKMEE's HORSE BOOK. 

UNDER SADDLE. 

James K. Polk, chestnut gelding, and Roanoke, dead heat; Phil- 
adelphia, Pa., June 30, 1850; regulation, 4: 57 J. 

THREE MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

James K. Polk, chestnut gelding; Centreville, L. I., N. Y., Sept. 
13, 1847; regulation, 7:44. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

Joe Jefferson, brown stallion, by Thomas Jefferson; Knoxville, la., 
Nov. 6, 1891; regulation, 7 : 33^. 

UNDER SADDLE RACE. 

Oneida Chief, chestnut gelding, by Kentuckj^ Hunter; Benson 
Course, N. J., Aug. 14, 1843; regulation, 7:44. 

TO WAGON RACE. 

Lono-fellow, chestnut gelding, by Red Bill ; Sacramento, Cal., Sept. 
21, 1868; regulation, 7T53. 

FOUR MILES IN HARNESS — RACE. 

Longfellow, chestnut gelding, by Red Bill; San Francisco, Cal., 
1869 ; regulation , 10 : 34J. 

IN HARNESS TIME. 

Joe Jefferson, brown stallion, by Thomas Jefferson ; Knoxville, la., 
Nov. 13, 1891; regulation, 10:10. 

FIVE MILES IN HARNESS RACE. 

Fisherman, bay gelding, by Lightning; San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 
19, 1874; regulation, 13^03^. 

TO WAGON — RACE. 

Lady St. Clair, by St. Clair; San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 11, 1874; 
regulation, 12:54f. 

• FASTEST THREE HEATS IN RACE. 

Direct, by Director, dam Echora, by Echo; Columbia, Tenn., Oct. 
26, 1891, defeating Hal Pointer ; kite, 2:09—2:08—2:08^. 



GLOSSARY OP SCIENTIFIC AND IMPORTANT TERMS, USED IN 
VETERINARY WRITINGS, WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS. 



Abdomen — The portion of the body containing the stomach and in 
testines: the belly. 

Abnormal — That which is not natural or regular. 

Abortion — The casting of the young in an unnatural manner, and 
before the proper time. 

Abrade — To rub off, to wear away by contact, as rubbing off the sur- 
face of the skin, producing galls. 

Abrasion — A rubbing off; an abraded and sore spot on the skin. 

Abrupt — Quick, sudden ; an abrupt turn or twist in the intestine may 
produce strangulation of the parts. 

Abscess — A swelling and its cavity containing pus or matter. A cav- 
ity containing pus. 

Absorb — Swallowing up, drinking in. 

Absorbent — In anatomy, those vessels which imbibe or suck up, as 
. the lacteals or Ijaiiphatics. In medicine, any substance, as chalk, 
magnesia, etc., used to absorb acidity in the stomach. 

Absorption — The taking up by the vessels of the body of any sub- 
stance either natural or unnatural, as the serum of dropsical swellings. 

Accelerate — Growing quicker or faster, as an accelerated pulse. 

Acid — Sour. The last fermentation before the putrid. 

Acididate — To make slightly sour, as with lemon, vinegar, or the 
mineral acids. 

Accretion — Increase, or growing as an exostosis or unnatural growth 
of bone. 

Ac7Hd — Sharp, pungent, biting, irritating, as the strong acids. 

Acute — Severe, sharp. In diseases, those which soon come to an end 
in contradistinction to chronic. 

Action — The paces of a horse, either natural or acquired. 

Actual — The production of an immediate effect, as by the use of a 
hot iron (actual cautery), in contradistinction to the effect of es- 
charotics, as a caustic application. 

Adenitis — Inflammation of a gland or glands. 

571 



572 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Adhesion — A joining together, as the union of parts in healing. 

Adhesive — That which adheres, as certain plasters. 

Adipose — Fatty matter; belonging to fat. 

Adolescence — The period between puberty (the age of procreation) 

and the full development of the physical system. 
Adult — The age succeeding adolescence, and preceding old age. 
Aerate — Mixing with air, as the blood in the lungs, by which it ab- 

sorbes oxygen. 
Etiology — Relating to the doctrine or probable cause of a disease. 
Affection — Disease, or disease of some particular part. 
Affinity — The attraction which causes particles of bodies to adhere 

and form compounds. That which causes substances to cohere. 
Afluence — Determination of the blood or of humors to a part. 
Albuminuria — That condition in which the urine contains albumen 

and an excess of urea, coagulable by means of nitric acid and heat. 
Albu^nen — Substances, animal and vegetable, resembling the white of 

an egg. 
Aliment — Solid or liquid substance taken as food. 
Alimentary Canal — The bowels. 
Alkali — Any substance which will neutralize an acid, as magnesia, 

soda, potash, etc. 
Alkaloid — A salifiable base existing in some vegetables, differing 

from alkali in composition and general properties, and having noth- 
ing in common except their basic properties. Brucia, emetia, 

morphia, strychnia, strontia, etc., are alkaloids. 
Alter — A term in common use for castration. 
Alterative — A medicine changing the functions and condition of the 

organs of the body. 
Alum — Sulphate of alumina and potassa. 

Alveoli — The sockets in the jaw bone in which the teeth are situated. 
Amaurosis — Partial or total loss of vision from paralysis of the retina. 
Amputation — The operation in surgery of cutting off a limb. 
Anaemia — Poverty of the blood as opposed to plethora. Too few 

red corpuscles and too many white corpuscles in the blood. 
Anasarca — Dropsical swellings, as of the limbs, abdomen, chest, etc. 
Aneurism — Dilatation of an artery producing a tumor; lesion of an 

artery ; dilatation of the heart. 
Analysis — Separation into parts; resolving a thing or substance into 

its original elements. 



GLOSSARY or SCIENTIFIC TEEMS. 573 

Anatomy — The art of dissecting, or separating the different parts of 
the body. The science of tlie structure of the body, as learned 
by dissection. 

Anchylosis — The stiffening, or rendering rigid, a joint. 

Ancesthetics — Agents which deprive of sensation and suffering, as 
chloroform, ether, etc. 

Anodyne — A medicine to allay or diminish pain. 

Antacid — Opposed to, or an antidote to, acids. 

Antagonism — Opposed in action ; one contradicting another. 

Anthelmintic — Medicine to kill or expel worms. 

Antidote — That which counteracts hurtful or noxious substances. 
A remedy to counteract the effects of poison. 

Antiperiodic — Medicine to arrest or retard the return of a paroxysm 
in periodic disease. 

Antiseptic— KgQnt& for preventing, arresting or retarding putrefac- 
tion. 

Anus — The fundament, or lower portion of the bowel at the tail. 

Aperient — Laxative medicine; that which gently operates on the 
bowels. 

Aphtha — Ulceration of the mouth, beginning with minute vesicles 
and ending in white sloughs. 

Apoplexy — Sudden effusion of blood into the substance of the brain. 
Sometimes used for effusion into the substance of other organs or 
tissues. 

Approximate — Coming near to. An approximate cure is by inocu- 
lating for another disease. 

Aqueous — Watery ; having the property of water, as watery matter, 
aqueous pus. 

Aromatic — Strong smelling stimulants, given to dispel wind and 
relieve pain. 

Artery — Blood-vessels which carry the red blood from the heart. 

Articulate — Joining, working together or upon one another, as the 
bones. 

Asthma — A disease attended with difficulty of breathing, and a 
sensation producing wheezing, coughing and other distressing 
symptoms. 

Asphyxia — Death from strangulation of the lungs, from want of air. 

Assimilate — To make like another; assimilation of food in the nu- 
trition of the body. 



5Y4 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Astragalus — The largest bone of the hock-joint, lying below the 

OS Calais. 
Astringent — That which causes contraction of the bowels or vital 

structures. Astringents are medicines which suppress discharges, 

as from the bowels, blood, mucus. 
Attenuate — To draw out, to make thin, reduce in size. 
Atrophy — Wasting of a part, as the muscles. 
Atlas — The first bone of the neck or first cervical vertebra. 
Augment — To increase. 
Auricle — The external part of the ear ; also parts of the heart, one 

on each side resembling ears. 
Auscultation — The act of listening to sounds given by different 

parts of the body when struck, especially to the sounds produced 

by the functional motions of the lungs and heart by percussion. 
Bars — (Of the hoof.) The two ridges of horn passing from the 

heels of the hoof toward the toe of the frog, (Of the mouth.) 

The transverse ridges on the roof of the mouth of the horse. 
Bicipital — Two-headed, as biceps muscles, bicipital groove, etc. 
Biliary — Belonging to or pertaining to bile. Biliary duct, a canal 

containing bile. 
Bolt — To swallow the food hurriedly without proper chewing. 
Bolus — Medicines formed into a round or cylindrical mass, for ease 

in administering, often termed a ball. The cylindrical shape is 

the proper one. 
Bats — The grub of the fly equus equi, when in the stomach of the 

horse. 
Bounded — Parts lying about another, surrounded by. 
Broncliia — The first two branches of the wind-pipe. Bronchitis 

is an inflammation of the bronchia. 
Bursal — A bursal enlargement is an enlargement of the oil-sac 

found at or near many of the joints. 
Ccesarian Operation — To cut into the womb b}^ way of the abdo- 
men, when natural delivery cannot be accomplished. 
Calcareous — Containing lime; lime-like. 
Calcidus — Any hard, solid concretion found in any part of the body, 

as stone in the bladder, gall-stones, etc. 
Calks, or Calkins — The heel of the horse-shoe when turned down to 

prevent slipping. 
Callous — Induration; a hard deposit ; excess of bony matter. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 575 

Canal — A tube or passage — as the alimentary canal (digestive tract), 

tympanic canal of the ear, etc. 
Cancer — A hard, unequal, ulcerating tumor, which usually proves 

malignant and fatal. 
Canine Teeth — The teeth between the lateral incisors and the small 

molars of the jaw. 
Canker — Eroding ulcers of the mouth; virulent, corroding ulcers. 

Any sore which eats or corrodes. - 
Cannon-bone — The shank, or bone below the knee or hock. The 

metacarpal or metatarsal bone of the horse. 
Cantharis — A coleopterous insect. The cantharis vesicatoria; 

powdered, it is the active principle in ordinary blistering plasters. 
Canida — A hollow tube of metal or other substance, variously used 

in surgery. 
Capillary — Hair-like; applied to the minute ramifications of the 

blood-vessels. 
Capped Hock — A swelling on the points of the hock of the horse. 
Capsicum — ■Cayenne pepper. The small, long red pepper. 
Capsular Ligaments — Ligaments surrounding the joints. 
Capside — A membranous bag or sac. 
Cardiac — Pertaining to the heart. 
Caries — Ulceration of the substance of the bones. 
Carotid Canal — A canal in the temporal bone, through which the 

carotid artery, and also some nervous filaments, pass. 
Cartilage — Gristle; the substance covering the ends of bones, mov- 
ing and working upon each other. 
Castrate — To geld, emasculate, deprive of the testicles. 
Catarrh — A cold attended with running of the nose. 
Cataract — An opacity of the crystaline lens of the eye, causing 

partial or total blindness. 
Cathartic — Purgative medicine, used for freely opening the bowels. 
Catheter — An instrument used for drawing the water from the 

bladder, and for other purposes. 
Caustic — Any burning agent, as potash, nitrate of silver. To 

cauterize is to burn, generally applied to the use of the hot iron 

in diseases. 
Cavity — A depression, as the cavity of a wound. 
Cellular Tissue — The membrane or tissue which invests every fiber 

of the body, composed of minute cells communicating with eaeli 

other, and which serve as reservoirs of fat. 



57(> THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Cerebral — Pertaining to the brain. 
Cervical — The neck; belonging to the neck. 

Characteristic — A symptom of character. Characterize, to dis- 
tinguish. 
Chemistry — Tlie science which investigates the composition of sub- 
stances, and the changes of constitution produced by their 

mutual action. 
Chronic — A lingering, long-standing disease, generally succeeding 

the acute stage. A seated, permanent disease. 
Chyle — The milky liquid, as taken from the food during digestion, 

and prepared from the chyme, and ready to be absorbed by the 

lacteal vessels before being poured forth into the blood. 
Chyme — The food modified and prepared by the action of the 

stomach. 
Cicatrice— lLh.Q scar left after the healing of a wound or ulcer. 
Circumscribed — Limited. In pathology applied to tumors distinct 

at their base from the surrounding part. 
Circulation — The vital action which sends the blood through the 

arteries, and back again through the veins to the heart. 
Cleft — A mark ; division ; furrow. 
Coagulate — To clot, as the blood when drawn. 
Colic — Acute pain in the abdomen, intensified at intervals. 
Collapse — A falling together. A closing of the vessels. Extreme 

depression of the vital powers. 
Colon — The largest of the intestines, or, more properly, the largest 

division of the intestinal canal. 
Coition — The act of copulation ; union of the sexes. 
Coma — Lethargy. Drowsiness produced by depression of the brain 

and other causes. 
Condition — A healthy, serviceable state of the system. A firm state 

of the muscular tissue. 
Congenital — Born with another; of the same birth. Belonging to 

the individual from birth. 
Congestion — An accumulation of clogged blood in the vessels, or 

in the parts, as the lungs, brain, etc. 
Constrict — Drawing or binding together, as a constriction of the 

muscles of a part. 
Contagions — A disease that may be communicated bv contact, or 

the madcr coniinuiiicated, or proceeding from the breath, or 

emanations of the body. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 577 

Contorted — Twisted, twisting, writhing, as the body in pain, or from 
the result of disease. 

Contusion — A bruise; a wound made by a blow or bruise. 

Concretion — Adherence of parts naturally separate. In chemistry, 
condensation of fluids or other substances into more solid matter. 

Constipation — A state of the bowels in which the evacuations arc 
unnaturally hard. A stoppage of the evacuation of the bowels. 

Continuity — Parts united so completely that they cannot be sep- 
arated without laceration or fracture. 

Convalescent — Returning to health after sickness. 

Convoluted — Rolled together or upon itself. The cerebrum is con- 
voluted. The irregular foldings of the intestines are convolutions. 

Copious — Plentiful, abundant, as a copious discharge. 

Core — The hard portion of purulent matter, as in boils. 

Corn — A diseased portion of the foot, — in the horse, between the 
bar and the quarter, usually on the inside. 

Coronet — The upper part of the hoof, just where it joins the skin. 

Corrosive — Eating away and destroying the texture of the living body. 

Corrugation — Contracting the skin into w-rinkles. 

Costa — A rib. Costal: belonging to the ribs. 

Counter-irritation — An application to irritate one part, to relieve pain 
in another. A blister or mustard poultice does this. 

Craniimi — The skull. Cranial : pertaining to the skull. 

Crest — The back or upper part of the neck of the horse. 

Cr-epitation — Applied to the noise made by the ends of fractured 
bones, when they grate together. The sound produced by press- 
ins: together cellular tissue in wdiich air is contained. 

CiHhbing (of horses) — The act of seizing any hard substance, or 
pressing thereon with the teeth, and gulping; sometimes called 
wind-sucking, though the latter is not necessarily cribbing. 

Crisis — In disease, that point or period wdiich determines a favorable 
or unfavorable termination. 

Crust — The hoof is so called. The outside laminae of the hoof. 

Crusta — A scab. 

Cul-de-sac — A passage closed at one end. 

Curb — A soft swelling, becoming hard, situated on the back part of 
the hind leg, just below the point of the hock. 
37 



578 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Cuticle — The epidermis or scurf skin. The skin is composed of the 

cutis vera, reta mucosum and cuticula. 
Cutaneous — Of the skin, as a cutaneous affection. 
Cyst — A small bladder or sac; one containing morbid matter or 

parasites, which become encysted, or inclosed in an envelope. 
Cystitis — Inflammation of the bladder. 
Debility — The condition of weakness or feebleness. 
Decoction — Extraction of the soluble parts of substances by boiling. 
Decompose — To decay. To separate into component parts. 
Defecation — Purifying from impurities of foreign matter. Voiding 

the excrement from the body. 
Degenerate — To become worse or inferior. 
Deleterious — Injurious, poisonous or destructive. 
Delirium — Insanity; a wandering of mind in disease. 
Demulcent — That which sheaths and protects irritated surfaces. 
Dermal — Belonging to the skin. 
Develop — To increase. A disease develops its intensity. To show 

increasing muscular form. Bringing to perfection. 
Diabetes — An excessive flow of urine containing saccharine matter. 
Diagnosis — The distinguishing of one disease from another. 
Diaphoretic — A medicine which causes perspiration or sweating. 
Diaphragm — The midriff. The membrane, or broad muscle, which 

divides the thorax or chest from the abdomen or belly. 
Diarrhoea — A continued and profuse discharge from the bowels. 
Diet — Any kind of food or drink. Dietary : a regulated allowance 

of food. 
Diffuse — To extend or drive out. That which may flow or spread, as 

a diffusible stimulant. 
Digestion — The separation and dissolving of the food in the stomach. 

Digestive ointment has the power of resolving tumors. 
Dilate — To open wide, as dilation of the eye. 
Dilatation — The expanding of a body, as of the heart, arteries, the 

bladder, etc., from over-fullness. 
Dilute — To make thin, as a medicine with water or oil. 
Diminution — A lessening, or decreasing, as of pain, etc. 
Diploma. — A document granted by a legally chartered college, show- 
ing that the person named is entitled to practice his profession. 
Disinfectant — An agent capable of neutralizing morbific eftluvia, or 

the cause of infection. 



GLOSSARY or SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 579 

Dislocation — Putting or being out of joint. 

Disorganization — A complete morbid change in, or even total destruc- 
tion of, the structure or texture of an organ. 

Dissection — Exposing the different parts of a dead body, that their 
arrangement and structure may be studied. 

Distorted — Deformed, crooked, out of the natural shape. 

Distend — To stretch out, or swell. 

Diuresis — An extraordinary or abundant excretion of urine. 

Diuretic — A medicine to increase the flow of urine. 

Dorsal — Pertaining to the back. The dorsal column is the back-bone. 

Drachm — The eighth part of an ounce. 

Drastic — Powerfully acting medicines or poisons. 

Drench — Liquid medicine given by the mouth. 

Drug — Originally, a medicines in its simple form, but now applied to 
medicines generally. 

Duct — A tube for conveying a fluid or the secretions of the glands. 

Duodenum — The first portion of the small intestine, through which 
the bile is poured. 

Dura Mater — A fibrous, semi-transparent membrane, lining the cavity 
of the cranium, and containing the brain (of which it may be con- 
sidered the outer membrane), and protecting the same by its 
thickness and great resisting power. 

Dysentery — Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intes- 
tines, producing mucous or bloody evacuations. 

Dyspepsia, — Serious derangement of the digestive functions. 

Dyspnoea — Difiiculty of breathing. 

Dysuria — Painful and incomplete passage of urine. 

Eczema — Irritation of the skin, usually followed by small pustules 
crowded together — not contagious, but producing a smarting pain. 

Effusion — A flowing out, as of blood, water or lymph, into the tissues. 

Elephantiasis — Chronic lymphangitis, by which the limb is enlarged, 
resembling the leg of an elephant. 

Embryo — The impregnated ovum in the womb, after growth begins. 

Emetic — A medicine given to produce vomiting. 

Emollients — Agents which have the power of softening or relaxing. 

Enamel — The hard outer covering of the teeth. 

Encysted — Enclosed in a sac. 

Enema — Medicines given by injection into the bowels. 



ObO THE AMERICAN FARiMEK 8 HORSE BOOK. 

Engorgemenl — In animals, vascular congestion, generally the result 

of over-feeding. 
Epidemic — Disease that affects a large number, as though in the air. 
Epiglottis — The covering of the glottis. A tongue-shaped projection, 

to prevent food or liquids from entering the Avind-pipe. 
Epizootic — Contagious disease, attacking large numbers of horses at 

one time. Applied to catarrhal fever in influenza, which spreads 

rapidly. 
Equine — Belonging to the horse. 

Eruption — Pimples, blisters, rash, etc., breaking out on the skin. 
Essence — The properties or virtues extracted from any substance. 
Evacuate — To empty or pass out, as to evacuate the bowels. 
Eiue-necked — In the horse, having a neck like a shorn sheep. 
Excision — Cutting out, or cutting off, any part. 
Excoriate — To tear or strip off the skin ; to wear away or abrade ; to 

break the skin in any manner, as in galling, or with acrid substances. 
Excrement — Refuse matter. The dung. 
Excrescence — Unnatural or superfluous growth. 
Excretion — The act of throwing off effete matter from the animal 

system ; that which is thus thrown off. 
Exfoliation — Separation or scaling off of dead from living bone. 

Separation of scales (laminae) from any substance. 
Exhale — Breathing out, evaporating. 
Exostosis — Unnatural growth or projection of bone. 
Extensor-tendon — The tendons which stretch out the limbs. 
Extirpation — The complete removal of a part by means of the knife. 
Extravasate — To let out of the proper vessels, as blood, after the 

rupture of a blood-vessel. 
Exudation — A sweating, or passing out of a liquid through the walls 

or membranes containing it. 
Facial — Pertaining to the face. 
Foeces — The excrement. 
Fat — The animal substance, whose natural function it is to protect the 

organs, maintain the temperature, and nourish in caseof need. 
Febrifuge — A medicine to lower the temperature of the body, and 

counteract fever. 
Femur — The thigh bone proper. ' 

Fermentation — Incipient decomposition of vegetable substances, from 

sourinsf. 



GLOSSAUY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMt>. 581 

Fester — To suppurate, and discharge corrupt matter. 

Fetid — Having; an offensive odor. 

Fibrin — An organic substance found in the blood, and composing a 
large part of the tissues of the body. Fibrous membrane is a mem- 
brane composed of fibers. 

Fibula — The small or splinter bone of the leg. The outer bone of 
the hind leg of the horse, etc., — much smaller than the tibia. 

Filtration — Straining a liquid to clarify it. 

Fissure — An opening, a crack. 

Fistala—A. deep, narrow ulcer, having a passage leading to it. 

Fistulous — Resembling a fistula, either in form or nature. 

Flanks — That part of the horse between the false ribs, hips and stifle. 

Flatulent — Affected with, or caused by, the generation of gas, or 
wind, in the stomach or intestines, as flatulent colic. 

Flex — To bend, as the neck or limb; as, a muscle flexing the arm. 

Flexor — A muscle which bends apart; in opposition to extensor. 

Fcetus — The young, yet unborn. 

Fomentation — The application of warmth and moisture, as with a 
liquid or poultice. 

Foramen — A cavity pierced through and through. 

Fumigate — The application of smoke or vapor. 

Fundament — The anus, or extremity of the bowel; end of the gut. 

Fungus — An unnatural growth resembling mushrooms. 

Gall — The fluid contained in the gall-bladder, consisting, principally, 
of the bile secreted by the liver. 

Gangrene — Mortification or death of any part or tissue of the body. 

Gastric — Pertaining to the stomach. 

Genital — Relating to reproduction, or to the generative parts. 

Gestation — The condition of pregnancy, or being with young. 

Gleet — Thin matter issuing from an ulcer. In horses, applied to nasal 
gleet exclusively. 

Glottis — The narrow opening at the top of the windpipe. 

Haunch — That part of the body whichlies between the last ribs and 
the thigh. In the horse, the bony region of the hips. 

Haw — The process of the eye-socket, which is thrown over the eye 
to clear it of foreign substances. 

Ho&matin — The coloring matter of the blood. 

Hectic — A constitutional and remitting fever exhibited in consump- 
tion ; produced also by ulcers, sores, etc. 



582 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Hemorrhage — A discharge of blood from the vessels containing it. 

Hepatic — Belonging to the liver. 

Hepatitis — Inflammation of the liver. 

Herbivorous — Feeding on herbs. 

Hermaphrodite — ^Possessing the attributes of both sexes, in a greater 
or lesser degree ; being of, or including, both sexes. Said of ani- 
mals, plants or flowers. 

Homogeneous — Being of the same kind or quality throughout. 

Humor — Any fluid of the body, excepting the blood. 

Humerus — The upper arm-bone ; upper bone of the fore-leg. 

Hybrid — The offspring of two different species of animals, as that of 
the horse and ass (the mule). 

Hydragogue — A medicine to remove effused fluids from the system. 

Hydroceplialus — Water in (dropsy of) the head. 

Hypertrophy — Excessive growth. 

Hypodermic — Beneath the skin. Used principally of medicines — as 
morphia, etc., — applied by injection under the skin. 

Ileum — The lower part of the small intestine. 

Impotence — Inability to perform the sexual function. 

hnpregnation — The act of rendering, or state of being, pregnant. 

Incision — Cutting into; a clean cut; a cutting, as in an}^ operation. 

Incontinence — Inability to retain the natural evacuations. 

Induration — The hardening of a part from the effects of disease. 

Infection — Communicating disease by miasma, or by emanations from 
a diseased body. 

Influenza — An epidemic disease, causing general depression, fever, etc. 

Infusion — Liquid produced by steeping an insoluble substance in water, 
without boiling. 

Ingesta — Food taken into the stomach. 

Inhalation — A drawing into the lungs ; the inbreathing of medicated 
or poisonous fumes. 

Inoculation — The production of disease by virus or matter from a 
sore, communicated from one aninud to another. 

Integument — The covering which invests the body (the skin), or a 
membrane covering any particular part of it. 

Intercostal — Between the ribs. 

Interfacing — The cutting of one foot or leg with the other. 

Intermittent — In fevers, a characteristic b}^ which the paroxysms in- 
termit or cease, returning nt regular, or nearly regular, intervals. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 583 

Invert — To turn about or upside down. 

Invigoratovs — Strengthening medicines, or agents. 

Iris — The circuhir membrane of the eye floating in the aqueous humor, 

and perforated to form the pupil. 
Issue — A running sore, artifically produced, and kept open to relieve 

irritation or morbid action in a neighboring part. 
Jejunum — That part of the small intestines comprised between the 

duodenum and ileum. 
Jugular — The large vein of the neck. 
Labial — Belonging or relating to the lips. 
Lachrymal — Pertaining to the tears. The lachrymal duct is the duct 

leading from the eye to the membrane of the nose. 
Lactation — The act of giving suck, or time of suckling. 
Lamella — A thin plate or scale of anything ; pertaining to the anatomy 

of the hoof. 
Larynx — The swell at the upper part of the wind-pipe, and extending 

into the throat. 
Lateral — At or to one side. 

Laxative — A medicine which gently opens the bowels. 
Lens — In oculary anatomy, a portion of the eye situated immediately 

back of the cornea. 
Lesion — Disease of a structure; any hurt or injury. 
Levator — A general name for a muscle whose ofiice it is to raise some 

part, as the lip or eyelid. 
Ligaments — The bands of the joints binding them strongly together. 
Ligature — Silk or flax thread, or any material suitable for tying 

arteries. A bandage used in the operation of bleeding. 
Liquefaction — The act or process of reducing a solid to a liquid form. 
Lithotomy — An operation for extracting stone from the bladder. 
Liver — The largest gland of the body; its ofiice is to secrete the bile. 
Lohe — A round projecting part of an organ. 
Local — Confined to a certain part or district. 
Lubricate — To moisten, as the lubrication of the joints and moving 

parts by their appropriate fluids. 
Lumbago — Rheumatism of the lumbar region. 
Lymph — The fluid contained in, and pour out by, the lymphatics. 
Lymphatics — The vessels of animal bodies which contain the ]vmph. 
Malanders — An ulcerous condition on the inside of a horse's leiis. 
Malaria — Infectious and noxious efiluvia, from decomposing animal 

or vegetable matter. 



584 THE AMERTCAlSr FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Mammary Glands — The glands which secrete the milk 

Mastication — The act of chewing the food. 

Maxilla — The upper or lower jaw. 

Mediastinum — The partition formed by the meeting of the pleura, 

dividing the chest into two lateral parts, and separating the lungs. 
Medullary — Consisting of, resembling, or pertaining to, marrow. 
Mesentery — The membrane which attaches the intestines to the spine. 
Metastasis — The transference or removal of disease from one part to 

another, or such change as is succeeded by a solution. 
Miasma — Impalpable germs, the product of putrefaction (animal or 

vegetable), producing disease. 
Midriff — The diaphragm. 

Milk Fever — A fever preceding or attending the secretion of milk. 
Morbid — A state of disease; the product or result of an unnatural 

state, as morbid humors; a failing, sinking state. 
Mortification — The death of a part from gangrene. 
Motor — That which causes, or is the instrument of, movement; as, 

the motor muscles. 
Mucus — The substance secreted by the mucous membranes, and 

effused upon the surfaces of the membranes. 
Muscular Fiber — Fibers composing the body of a muscle, disposed in 

distinct bundles. 
Myology — The branch of anatomy treating of the muscles. 
Narcoma — Stupor from the influence of opium or other narcotic. 
JSfarcotics — Drugs which allay pain and produce sleep. 
JSfasal — Pertaining to the nose. 
JSTauseants — Medicines that sicken the stomach. 
Navel — The umbilicus. 
Nerves — The fibrous system which conveys sensations to the brain 

and through the body. 
Neuralgia — A painful disease of one or some of the nerves. 
Neurotomy — The cutting or division of a nerve. 
Nitrate of Silver — Lunar caustic. 

Nutritive — Tending to nourish or build up ; strong, healthy food. 
Nutrition — The process by Avhich the food taken is assimilated ; to re- 
pair waste and promote growth. 
Obesity — Exceeding fatness. 
Obliteration — Alteration in the appearance or function of a part, pre- 

ventina" its action. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 585 

Occult — Hidden. Applied to diseases which are not understood. 

Ocular, oculary — Eelating to the eyes, 

(Edema — Effusion of serous fluid into the cellular tissues, producing 

swelling. 
(Esophagus — The gullet. 
Omentum — The caul. A fold of the peritoneal membrane, covering 

the intestines in front, and attached to the stomach. 
Opacity — Want of transparency; that quality of bodies by virtue of 

which they cannot transmit rays of light. 
Ojjtic — Relating to the sight, or to the laws of vision. 
Orbit — In ocular anatomy, the bony cavity in which the eye is situated. 
Organ — The natural instrument by which a process or function is 

carried on. 
Organic — Composed of, or pertaining to, an organ or its functions; 

dependent on, or resulting from, organism. 
Os—The. technical name for bone. 
Osseous — Bony, or resembling bone. 
Ossification — Changing to bone. Bony formation. 
Ostalgia — Pain in one or some of the bones. 
Osteophyte — An abnormal bon}^ enlargement, or excrescence. 
Osteosarcoma — A fleshy, cartilaginous mass, growing within a bone, 

enlarging; and sometimes fracturing it. 
Ovariotomy — The art or operation of removing the ovaries from the 

female animal; spaying — analogous to the gelding of the male. 
Ovaries — The organs connected with the uterus that mature and give 

off the ova (eggs) which, when impregnated, produce the foetus. 
Ovule — The impregnated germ or e,g^. 

Oxydize — The change formed by the action of oxygen, or air contain- 
ing oxygen, on any substance. The changing of the black or venous 

blood into red or arterial blood, in the lungs. 
Pabulum — That which is proper for food. 
Palpitation — A rapid, thumping movement of the heart. 
Panacea — A supposed universal cure. A medicine applicable to 

many cases. 
Pancreas — The narrow, flat gland extending across the abdomen, 

sometimes called the sweet-bread. 
Parotid — Near the ear. Parotid gland : the largest salivary gland. 
Paroxysm — In disease, a recurrence coming on after an intermission. 
Parturition — The act of bringing forth young. 



586 THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 

Patella — The knee-pan. 

Pathology — The science which treats of the causes, nature, symptoms 
and cure of diseases. 

Paunch — The first stomach of ruminating animals. 

Pectoral — Pertaining to the breast, as the pectoral muscles. A medi- 
cine adapted to relieve affections of the chest and lungs. 

Pedunculated — Growing with a stem supporting a larger head. 

Pelvis — That part of the trunk bounding the abdomen, containing a 
part of the intestines, and the internal urinary and genital organs. 

Pepsin — A substance assisting digestion. 

Peptic — Promoting digestion; relating to digestion. 

Pericardium — The serous membrane enclosing the heart. 

Pei'ichondrium — The membrane covering the cartilages. 

Pericranium — The membrane lining the bones of the skull. 

Perinoeinn — The space between the anus and the genital organs. 

Periosteum — The fibrous membrane investing a bone. 

Peritoneum — The serous membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen. 

Peritonitis — Inflammation of the peritoneum. 

Pharynx — The opening or tube at the back part of the mouth which 
leads to the stomach. 

Phlebitis — Inflammation of a vein. 

Phlebotomy — The operation or act of bleeding. 

Ph th isis — Con sumption . 

Physiology — The science which treats of the functions of the various 
organs of a living body. 

Piles — A disease consisting of chronic dilatation or small tumors of 
the blood-vessels immediately about the anus, and attended with 
more or less pain. 

Placenta — The membrane covering the young in the womb; the 
after-birth. 

Pletltora — A full habit of body ; full of blood. 

Pleura — The serous membrane lining the interior of the chest, and 
covering the lungs, which it lubrientes with its secretions. 

Plexus — Any union of vessels, nerves or fibers in the form of net 
work. 

Poison — Any substance, animal, vegetable or mineral, which applied 
externally or taken internally, causes either death or serious hurt- 
ful changes. Poisons are classified as irritant, narcotic, sedative, 
acro-narcotic and acro-sodative. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 587 

Polypus — A tumor with narrow base, in nostrils, uterus, vagina, etc. 
Post-mortem — Literally, after death. The examination of a dead 

body. 
Predisposed — Prepared or fitted for beforehand; inclined to — as, being 

predisposed to disease. 
Prepuce — The cutaneous fold covering the glans penis. 
Process — Prominence ; a projecting part ; any protuberance, eminence 

or projecting bone. 
Prognosis — The act or art of judging by the symptoms the probable 

course of a disease. 
Prolapsus Uteri — Falling of the womb. 
Prolapsus Recti — Falling of the rectum. 
Proud Flesh — A fungous growth on an ulcer, or an excrescence of 

flesh in a wound from excessive granulation. 
Pulmonary — Pertaining to, or affecting, the lungs. 
Pupil — The ball or apple of the eye, through which the rays of light 

pass to the crystaline humors. 
Purgative — Any medicine having the power of operating strongly on 

the bowels. 
Pus — The matter discharged from a tumor when lanced, or from 

sores. Healthy pus is yellowish white in color, and is always 

secreted in the process of healing. 
Putrefaction — The process of decomposition ; state of corrruption ; 

rottenness. 
Pylorus — The lower orifice of the stomach on its right side, through 

which the food passes to the intestines. 
Quiescent — At rest. Showing no pain. Making no sound. 
Ramify — Branched; running in various directions. 
Rash — An eruption of the skin. 
Rectum — The last intestine. The anal gut. 
Reflux — In medicine, the return of the blood from the head, or from 

towards the extremities to the heart. 
Refrigerants — Medicines or lotions to diminish heat. 
Regurgitate — To throw or pour back; to swallow again. 
Relax — To abate; to become more mild, or less rigorous. 
Remittent — Ceasing for a time, as a fever or a pain. 
Resolvent — A substance or medicine that will scatter inflammatory or 

other tumors, and prevent their suppuration. 
Respiration — The act of breathing. 



588 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Respiratorij Mnrmur — The murmer which, when the ear or steth- 
oscope is applied to the chest, is heard in the lungs, and attending 
the act of breathing. 

Retention — A stopping or withholding, as retention of the urine. 

Retina — The expansion of the optic nerve in the back part of the eye, 
on which the image is produced, in the act of seeing, or vision. 

Retract — To withdraw; to pull in. 

Rumination — The act or habit of chewing the cud. 

Rupture — The act of breaking or bursting, or the state resulting 
therefrom. The common name for hernia. 

Saccharine — Containing, or having the qualities of, sugar. 

Sacral — Belonging to the os sacrum. 

Saline — Containing salt in solution ; tasting saltish. 

Saliva — The secretion of the salivary glands, which moistens the 
food in chewing, and also keeps the mouth and tongue moist. 

Salivation — K\\ excessive secretion of saliva. White clover will some- 
times produce it in horses, or it may be produced by certain medi- 
cines, especially calomel. 

Sanguine — Full of blood. Abounding with blood. 

Sanitary — Relating to the preservation of health; tending to health. 

Sarcoma — A fleshy tumor. 

Scab — The incrustation on a sore. A verminous disease of sheep. 

Scapula — The shoulder-blade. 

Sclerotic — The thick, hard, white outer coat of the eye. 

Sciatica — A rheumatic or neuralgic affection of the hip. 

Sedatives — Soothing medicines ; remedies to depress nervous power, 
or lower circulation. 

Semen — The male generative product secreted in the testicles. 

Sensitive — Having feeling, or sensibility. 

Septic — Causing or hastening putrefaction. 

Senim — The yellowish, watery portion of the blood remaining after 
coagulation. 

Shanh — The bone of the leg from the knee to the ankle. 

Sinus — An orifice or canal containing pus or matter. 

Skin — The covering of the body, and the organ of touch. It is com- 
posed of the scarf skin (cuticle), the middle (reta mucosum), and 
the inner or true skin (derma). 

SlinJc — To abort ; to produce young before the natural time. 



GLOWSAKY OF SCIEKTIFIC TERMS. 589 

Slough (pronounced sluff ) — To fall away, separate from, as in dis- 
ease, or in mortified parts. 

Socket — The depression in which one bone works on another. 

Soporific — A medicine to induce sleep. 

Spasm — A sudden involuntary contraction of the muscles ; a convul- 
sion. 

Sp)asmodic — Characterized by spasms, as cramping, fits, etc. ; recur- 
ring at intervals, as colic pains, etc. 

Spinal — Kelating to the spine, or back-bone. 

Spleen — A livid colored gland in the abdomen, the office of which is 
not yet well known. 

Spontaneous — Occurring without any apparent cause from without. 

Sporadic — Separated, scattered ; occurring here and there, as spo- 
radic cases of disease. 

Sternum — The breast-bone, situated in the fore part of the thorax. 

Stimulants — Medicines to temporarily excite the nervous or circula- 
tory systems. 

Stomachics — Agents to promote digestion. 

Strangulated — Choked; having the circulation stopped in any part. 

Strangury — Stopping of a passage. 

Stricture — Stoppage or obstruction of a passage of the body, by mor- 
bid or spasmodic action. 

Styptic — A powerful astringent for restraining or stopping bleeding. 

Sudorific — That which will cause perspiration or sweating. 

Suppuration — The process of forming pus or matter ; the result of 
inflammation in an abscess or wound. 

Suture — A stitch or fastening on joining together. The seam or 
joint which unites the bones of the skull. 

Symmetry — As applied to animals, signifies that they are well pro- 
portioned, handsomely and stoutly formed. 

Sympathy — The connection existing between two or more organs, by 
which the diseased condition or abnormal action of one is trans- 
mitted, secondarily, to the others. 

Symptom — Any circumstance observed to occur constantly in the 
same form of disease, and serving to point out its true nature and 
seat; any change occurring in the progress of a disease, indicative 
of its course and probable determination. 



590 THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 

Synovia — A fluid resembling the white of an egg, secreted at the 
joints and articulations, which it lubricates and keeps in healthful 
condition. Joint-oil, so called. 

Tmnia — The scientific name of the tape-worm. 

Tarsus — The cartilage towards the edge of each eyelid, giving it 
shape and firmness. That part of the human foot with which the 
leg joins, and whose front is called the instep. The hock-joint of 
the horse. 

Tendon — The dense, fibrous structure in which a muscle ends, and 
by which it is joined to a bone. 

Testicle — The male gland containing the seminal fluid. 

Therapeutics — That part of medicine which relates to the discovery 
and application of remedies for diseases. 

Thorax — The chest ; the part between the neck and abdomen. 

Tibia — The large bone of the hind leg of the horse, etc. 

Tonics — Agents which gradually and permanently improve the system. 

Tonsil — An oblong gland situated on each side of the fauces, termi- 
nated by the larnyx and pharynx, at the rear of the mouth, and hav- 
ing excretory ducts opening into the mouth. 

Torsion — The act of turning or twisting, as often in drawing a tooth. 

Trachea — The windpipe. 

Tractile — That which may be drawn out. 

Tread — Tramping upon, as the tread of one hoof upon the other. 
The part of the hoof resting upon the ground. 

Trichina Spiralis — A minute entozoon (parasitic mite), wdiich burrows 
in the muscles, and which, before becoming encysted, sometimes 
causes the death of the animal. They are principally generated in 
swine, fowls, rats and other omnivorous feeders. 

Tuber — A rounded projection, especially of a bone. 

Tubercle — A small tumor, as tubercles in the lungs. 

Tumor — A swelling or enlargement, generally permanent. 

Tympanum — The drum of the ear. 

Ulcer — A running sore. 

Vhia — The larger of the two bones of the arm. 

Ulterior — Remoter; yet to come; last or final. 

Umbilicus — The naval. 

Ureter — One of the two canals or ducts which convey the urine from 
the kidneys to the bladder. 



GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC TERMS. 591 

Urea — The principal characteristic constituent of urine. It is white, 
transparent and crystalizable. 

Urinary — Pertaining to the urine. 

Urine — Tlie saline secretion of the kidneys. 

Uterus — The womb. 

Vagina — The canal, in female animals, from the vulva to the uterus. 

Varicose Veins — Veins, most commonly in the legs, which are perma- 
nently dilated, knotted and irregular. 

Vascular — Pertaining to the vessels of animal and vegetable bodies, 
as the vascular functions. The arteries, veins, lacteals, and the 
like, compose the vascular system. Animal flesh is vascular. 

Venous — Pertaining to the veins, or contained in the vein. 

Ventral — Pertaining to the abdomen, or belly. 

Ventricose — A swelled appearance, making the object look bellied. 

Vermicular — Worm-like in shape or appearance. 

Vermifuge — A medicine or agent to kill or expel worms. 

Vertebra — A division or separate bone of the spinal column. 

Vertigo — Dizziness. An indication of plethora, or, frequently a 
symptom of some disease. 

Vesicle — A small blister. Any membranous cavity. 

Veterinarian — One skilled in (and, usually, legally qualified for) the 
treatment of the diseases of the horse, cattle and other domestic 
animals. 

Veterinary — Pertaining to the diseases of domestic animals, and treat- 
ment of the same ; connected with the art of the veterinarian. 

Virulent — Dangerous, or malignant; as, a virulent tyjje of disease. 

Virus — Contagious or infectious matter. 

Viscera — The organs contained in any cavity of the body, particularly 
of the head, thorax and abdomen. 

Viscid — Sticky or tenacious, with a glutinous consistency. 

Vision — The act or faculty of seeing; that which is seen. 

Vital — Having or containing life. Necessary to life. 

Volatile — Giving off vapor, of flying off in vapor. 

Vulnerary — Plants, lotions, ointments, drugs or other substances 
useful in the healing of wounds. 

Vulva — The outer opening, in female animals, of the generative parts. 

Warbles — Small, hard tumors on the back of a horse, from irritation 
of the saddle. Tumors occasioned by the depositing of the eggs 
of the gad-fly in the backs of horses and cattle. 



55*2 THE AMERICAN FAKiMEIl's JIOKSE EOOK. 

Warts — Spongy excrescences on various parts of the body. 

Wen — A distinctly defined tumor under the skin, seldom hurtfuL 
An encysted tumor. 

Wind-galls — A distension of the synovial membranes of a horse's fet- 
lock joints. 

Withers — The bony crest of the shoulders, in a horse. 

Womh — The uterus, or bag in which the young are carried 1)eforc 
birth. 

Wound — A breach of the skin or flesh. Surgery classifies wounds as 
contused, incised, punctured or poisoned. 

Wry Neck — An involuntary fixed position of the head towards one of 
the shoulders. 

Xiphoid — Sword-like. A small cartilage at the bottom of the breast- 
bone. 

Zygoma — The cheek-bone. 

Zygomatic — Pertaining to the cheek-bone, or to the bony arch under 
which the temporal muscle passes. 



I N D B X . 



Page. 

Abdallah 509 

Abortion 392 

" from leucorrhoea 390 

" " metritis 392 

" sporadic 392 

" accidental 392 

" enzootic 392 

" contagious 392 

" age of foetus in 394 

" from equine syphilis 401 

Abscesses 197 

" treatment,... 198 

" in blood poisoning 449 

Absorbents of intestines 184 

Accidents producing wounds 323 

Acids, poisoning by 491 

" burns from 494 

Action, scrutinize, in bu3'ing 117 

" method of horse's 67 

" in the walk 68 

" bad, in walk 72 

" in the trot 74 

" " " canter 75 

" " " gallop 76 

" low, as unsoundness 116 

" paddling 117 

" short-coupled 121 

" defective, of fore limbs 124 

" " from broken hock 243 

" " in clicking 248 

See, Lameness. 

Actual cautery, castrating by 385 

See PMring. 

Acute inflammation 193 

" abscesses 197 

" founder 255 

" bronchitis 418 

" rheumatism 440 

Adhesion of wounds 327 

After-birth 404, 409 

" in cow 405 

'• retention of 410 



Page. 

Age, to tell by the teeth 333 

" of foetus, to tell 394 

Air in stables See Ventilation. 

Alimentary canal 184 

Alkalies, poisoning by 491 

Allerton 539 

Amaurosis 460 

America, horse in 33 

" handling of colts in 98 

American Star 14 515 

" thoroughbred 562 

" turf, records 564, 565, 568 

Ammonia in stables 441 

Amputating the penis 380 

" " tail (docking) 482 

Anaesthesia 477 

" local, by cocoaine 484 

Anaesthetics 477 

See Chloroform. 

Aneurisms 434 

Animal language 99 

Ankles, swelled 321 

Ankylosis in ring-bones 226 

" of shoulder-joint 241 

" " knee.... 241 

" " joints 300,301 

Antidotes. .y&'ee Poisons, Cantharides, etc. 

Antilithics 373 

Anus 186 

Aorta 162, 165 

Arab maxim in breeding 62 

" vers?(s Indian horse 97 

Arion 545 

Arsenic, dreadful use in big head... 212 

Arteries 161 

" to stop bleeding from. . .324, 435 

Articulation of bones 151 

" new, in dislocations.... 303 

Artificial foods 86 

Ascarides 360 

Ass, wild 137 

" she, in America 139 



593 



594 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 
Asthma 422 

" as unsoundness 115 

trophy of muscles 309 

" " heart 432 

Attitude, horse's, in standing 67 

Auricles of the heart 1 G5 

Auscultation, defined 419, 421 

Axtell 535 

Azoturea 374 

Back, teaching to 100 

Back-bone 148 

Backs, good and bad 121 

Backing, vice of 116 

Back-raking 353 

Bag, steaming 412 

" chloroform 478 

See Scrotum a?«fZ Udder. 

Balking, vice of 116 

Balling-irons 367, 436 

Bandages 325 

Bandage for neck 346 

" " top of neck 468 

" " throat 415 

" " ear 465 

" " croup 473 

Barbs, or pikes 344 

Barn, a model farm 132 

" good, described 133 

Bars of hoof 166, 270, 279 

" " mouth 342 

" " '' burning 344 

Bashaw 509, 515 

Bean in penis 372, 379 

" how to know 372 

Bearing of foot 279 

" surface of foot 281 

" " in special cases 283 

" " of shoe 295 

Bedding, straw for 85 

" importance of good 88 

" eating, as vice 116 

" changing 130 

Beef, spaying for 399 

Beer, etc., caution 357 

Bees, sting of 497 

Belladonna poisoning 493 

Bellfounder 54, 515 

Big head 209 

" " Dr. Stewart's account of... 211 



Page. 
Big head. Dr. Stewarfs treatment. 215 

Big jaw See Big Head. 

" leg 449 

Bile, in horse 187 

See Liver. 

Birth See Parturition. 

" size of different animals at 395 

Bistoury, sharp-pointed 486 

" probe-pointed 487 

Bite of mad dog, etc 448 

" «' snake 494 

See Sting. 

Biting, vice of 117 

Black Hawk 515 

" hellebore 493 

" tumors 449 

Blacksmith versus farrier 280 

Bladder 188 

" inflammation of 375 

" rupture of 376 

" spasm of 376 

" stone in 376 

" gravel in 376 

" calculus in 376 

" catheter for relieving 372 

Bleeding 202, 435 

" to stop 248, 324 

" after castration 388 

" from nose 413 

Blemishes, what are 117 

" in warrantee 113 

Blindness in warrantee 114 

" moon 461 

" test for,... 463 

See Eye. 

Blind staggers 349 

Blisters 201 

Blood, the 159 

" purification in luugs 163 

" its offices 163 

" making in spleen 1S8 

" diseases 439 

" poisoning 449 

" " in gangrene 199 

" spavin 386 

" medicines, caution 489 

Bloodstick 202 

Blood-vessels See Arteries and Veins. 

" diseases of, 428 

" aneurisms, 434 



INDEX. 



595 



Page. 

Blood-vessels, wounds of, 435 

Bloody dung 357, 361 

" urine 370,375 

" vaginal discharge 391, 395 

" discharges of purpura hem- \ .,„ 

orrhagica / 

Blue ball 514 

Bog spavin 305 

Boils 437 

Boil, shoe 316 

Bolting, vice of. 116 

" the food 348 

Bone diseases as unsoundnesses 115 

" dead 205 

" scraper 205 

" cancer 20S 

" tumors 209 

" chisel 209 

" spavin 220 

" how a broken, knits 229 

Bones of the horse 146 

" structure of 150 

" classes of 150 

" of birds 151 

" covering 151 

" articulation 151 

" brittleness in big head 210 

" injuries and diseases 218 

" fractures of 228 

" of shank and fetlock 264 

'« " foot 265 

Boot, shoe-boil 317 

Boots, their use in breaking 550 

Bots 346 

" popular errors respecting 347 

Bowels, rupture (hernia) 362 

" " (colic, etc.) 350 

" mechanical clearing of 353 

" inflammation 354 

" " to discriminate 355 

See Intestines. 

Brain and skull 168 

" its wonderful structure 170 

" human and equine 170 

" anatomy.. 170 

" fever 452 

" tumors in 453 

Breaking. 

See Gentling, Training and Taming. 
Breath, poisonous element in 177 



Page. 

Breath, offensive, causes 20G 

Breathing See Respiration. 

" in bronchitis 418 

" " pneumonia 420,421. 

" " broken wind 424 

" " asthma 424 

" '• heaves 424 

" "pleurisy 425 

" "strangles 446 

" " anaesthesia. '. 478 

Breeding the hunter 85 

" " trotter 53,56,508,512 

" for excellence 57 

" to maintain excellence. .. 61 

" exercise important 57 

" points in 59,61 

" definite aim in 61 

'" Arab maxim in 62 

" Murray's six rules 62 

" Stonehenge's laws 63 

" in-and-in 65 

" hits in 66 

"■ of mules 139,142 

"■ of jacks 142 

" peculiarity in first 142 

•' and spavins, caution.. 222, 223 

•• and ringbones, caution.. . 225 

" " navicular disease, do. 259 

" aborting mare, caution... 394 

•' and equine syphilis, do. .. 402 

'• roarers, caution 416 

" and weak eyes, caution... 461 

British horses 33, 39, 42 

Broken wind 177, 422 

legs 230,240, 242 

ribs 238 

hip 239 

shoulder 240 

knee 241 

" cap 243 

thigh 242 

hock 243 

muscles 310 

bones. See Fractures, Slings, etc. 

Bronchial tubes 178 

" inflammation 418 

Bronchitis 418 

Broncho-pneumonia 420 

Bruises of sole. 247 

Brush and curry-comb 92 



596 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HOKSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Buds of farcy 445 

Buffalo gnats 498 

Burning for big head 212 

" " lampas. 344 

Burns 328 

" from acids 494 

Burrowing of pus. 198, 218, 322 

Bursal, defined 574 

Buttons of farcy 445 

Buying ahorse, advice 112, 117, 126 

" a fat horse 118, 152 

" perfection unattainable 125 

See Examination. 

Calculus in bladder 373, 376 

" to discriminate 377 

Calkins 290 

Callus, or cicatrix 311 

" of knitted bones 226, 230 

Cancer, bone 208 

Canker. 253 

" in grease 475 

Canter, the gait •. . 75 

Cantharides See Spanish Flies. 

Canula 354 

Capillaries 160, 162 

Capped knees 114 

" elbow 316 

" hock 317 

Care, good, profit of 412 

" " what constitutes 87 

" of exhausted horse 94 

Caries of a bone 204 

Carriage horses 36 

" " la America 46 

" " shoes for 291 

Cart horse, old English 42 

Cartilage, structure of 151 

" tumors 209 

Casting, methods of 384 

" hobbles for 479 

Castration 382 

" age for 382 

" time for 383 

' condition for 383 

'* preliminary examination.. 383 

" standing operation 383 

" when lying down 381 

" knife for 384 

" with clamps 385 

" by actual cautery 385 



Page. 

Castration by scraping 385 

" with ligature 385 

" " ecraseur , 385 

' ' by torsion 386 

" Eussian substitute for 386 

" of ridgling 386 

" sequels Of 388 

Cataract 462 

Catarrh (common cold) 411 

" epizootic (pink-eye) 431 

" or influenza 438 

Catheter, how to use 373 

Cattle stalls in model barn 135 

Caul 186 

Caustics, use of 254 

" " in fistula 220 

" for lampas, condemned... 344 
Cellular tissue, structure and uses.. 319 

" " diseases of 309,320 

Centipede stings 496 

Chafing 467 

Chalk, etc., to slake thirst 371 

Champignon 389 

Champion records 5G5, 568 

Chancre, epizootic 400 

Charlier horse-shoe 296 

Chest founder 257 

" water on 425 

Chloroform best anaesthetic 477 

" inhaler 478 

" bag...- 478 

" how to administer 478 

" precautions in using 479 

Choking 345 

Chronic inflammation 1 93 

" abscesses 198 

" corns 247 

" founder 256 

" '' treatment 257 

" rheumatism 303 

" sprains 312 

" indigestion 348 

" bronchitis 419,420 

" rheumatism 440 

" farcy 445 

" thick leg 451 

' ' grease 475 

" cases, setons for 487 

" " from drug poisoning. 489 
Cbyle 162, 186, 346 



INDEX. 



597 



Page. 

Chyme 183 

Cicatrix 310 

Circulation, process described 158 

<' general 160 

" pulmonary 161,163 

See Heart, Lungs, etc. 

Circulatory system, described 159 

" " diseases of 428 

" process described 161 

Clamps, castration with 385 

Claws on horse-shoe 290 

Clays, the 513 

Cleaning the horse 88 

" " limbs 92 

" " skin 93 

" " stable 89,253 

" " sheath 379 

Cleansing a wound 323 

Cleft of frog 273 

Cleveland Bay, the 37 

Clicking 248 

Clips on shoes 292 

Clitoris 192 

" excision for nymphomania.. 398 

Clydesdales 41 

Coach horses, Yorkshire 36 

" " French 38,45 

" " German 45 

" " Hanoverian..., 45 

" " in America 46 

Cocoaine, for local anaesthesia 484 

Coecum, or blind gut 185 

Cold, common 411 

" " as unsoundness 113 

" abscesses 198 

Colic, cramp 351 

" " to know from enteritis. 355 

" spasmodic 351 

" flatulent 353 

" wind 353 

" " tapping for 354 

" in stallions, caution 362 

" from calculus 373 

" spasm of bladder in 376 

" simulated by pleurisy 425 

" opium for, caution 493 

Collar-galls 467 

Colon 185 

Color, how determined 155 

■' and navicular disease 258 



Page. 

Colts, food for 82 

" gentling 97 

" handling in America 98 

" teething 330, 331 

" to tell age 334 

" casting 384 

" educating trotter 547 

See Castration. 

Compound fractures 229 

" " treatment 231 

Concretions in intestines 359 

" in bladder /See Calculus. 

Condimental foods 86 

Conestoga horse '. . ... 43 

Conformation, object lessons on 119 

Congestion of lungs. 

See Pleurisy and Pneumonia. 

Conjunctiva 175 

" inflammation 460 

Conjunctivitis 460 

Constipation 358 

Contagion of farcy 443 

" of glanders 443 

" of horse pox 447 

Contagious abortion 392 

" eczema 400 

" influenza 438 

Contraction of hoof 116, 250 

'< of tendons 319 

" of sheath 3S0 

Contused wounds 323 

Copperas for deodorizing 89 

Cord, indurated 389 

" scirrhus 389 

Corn, as food 85 

" and fodder at South 213 

" founder 254 

" diet is tooth- wearing 337 

Cornea, bulging of 459 

Corns 246 

" as unsoundness 114 

Coronary ring of hoof 166 

" cushion 268 

" frog band 272 

Corrosive sublimate poisoning 491 

Cough, as unsoundness 115 

" of common cough 412 

" of laryngitis 414, 415 

'• of bronchitis 419 

" of broken wind 423 



598 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Cough, of pleurisy 425 

Counter-irritants 201 

Cow and mare compared .... 396, 402, 408 

" spaying, its advantages 399 

Cracked hoof 251 

heel 466 

Cradle, Walker's 237 

" neck 316 

Cramp of muscles 311 

Crepitation, defined 236 

Crib-biting, as unsoundness 115 

" effects on teeth 337 

Crazy weed 492 

Croton oil, caution 492 

Croup, bandage for 473 

Cruelty versus kindness 87 

" in the stable 99 

Cruiser, tamed by Rarey ..101,110 

Crust of hoof 269 

Cryptorchid, or ridgling 3S6 

" castrating 386 

Curb 318 

Currycomb and brush 92 

Cushions of the foot 267 

Cuticle, the 1 55 

Cutis, or true skin 155 

Cuts See Wounds. 

Cutting, as unsoundness 116 

" from bad shoeing 288 

" horses, care in shoeing 293 

" teeth See Teething. 

Cystitis 375 

Dead bone 205 

Deadly nightshade 493 

Decay of the teeth 332 

Delirium of blind staggers 349 

Delivery See Parturition, Mare, etc. 

Dental star 338 

Dentition 330 

Dentistry, veterinary 332, 341 

Deodorizers, cheap 89 

Deposits, interstitial 199 

Dermis, or true skin 155 

Dexter 519 

Diabetes 371 

Diaphragm, spasm of 436 

Diaphoretics 202 

Diarrhoea 356 

" from worms 300 



Page. 

Diarrhoea from blood poisoning 449 

Difficult parturition 408, 409 

" " of mare... 408 

" " of cow 408 

" " due to mare 409 

" " due to foal 409 

Diffuse inflammation 193 

Digestion, horse's 84 

" organs of 180 

" how accomplished.. . 182 

" bile in 187 

" pancreatrie fluid in 187 

Dimple 310 

Direct 559 

Director, grooved 197 

Direct union of wounds 326 

Disease promoted by artificial life. . 82 

" any, as unsoundness 115 

" navicular 257 

Diseases, bone, as unsoundness 115 

Dishing, in action 72 

Dislocations 303 

" of stifle-joint 303 

Diuretics 202 

" caution 369, 489, 490 

" to deplete system 374 

Distemper 438 

See Strangles. 

Docility through training 97 

Docking 148, 480 

" how performed 481 

" knife 481 

Draft horses, English 38 

'• " French 44 

" " outline and points 49 

Drafts, protection from 94, 411 

" in stables 129 

Draining stables 131 

Drenching-horns 360 

Dressing wounds 327 

Drinking water, kinds of 90 

" " clean is best 91 

" " horse's 90 

" " in paralysis of lips. 455 

Driving, training for 549 

Dropsy, after inflammation. . 197 

" of testicle 381 

" from heart disease 432, 433 

" from influenza 439 

Drugs, caution 4S9 



INDEX. 



599 



Tage. 

Duodenum 185 

Dysentery , . 357 

Dyspepsia 348 

Dysurea 372 

Ear, the 51 

" diseases of 465 

" bandage 465 

Ecraseur 3SG 

" castrating with 385 

Ectropium 459 

Eczema, contagious 400 

" of ear... 465 

Efiusion in inflammation 197 

Elbow, sprained 313 

" capped 316 

Emetics, caution 492 

Emphysema of lungs 422 

England, Karey in Ill 

" American horses in 562 

English draft horses 38 

" carthorses. 42 

" neglect of gentling 98 

" stud book 562 

Enlargements, as unsoundness 116 

Enteritis 354 

Entropium 459 

Epidemics, or scarf skin 154 

Epistaxis, or nose-bleed 413 

Epizootic, chancre 400 

" influenza 438 

Equine syphilis 400 

Erysipelas 468 

Ethan Allen 515 

E I her as anaesthetic 477 

Examination of the eye 51 , 464 

" of stock 59 

" of action in trotting. . . 74 

" before buying ..... 117 

" of the hock 223 

" for curb 318 

" before gelding 383 

" of mouth 413 

" or test of wind 416 

Excretion, defined 179 

" through skin, bowels \ qo 
and kidneys / 

" blood as an aid to 162,163 

" kidneys' function of 188 



Page. 

Exercise, for breeding stock 57 

" essential to health 87 

" amount of 88 

Exostosis, defined 203, 220 

See Splints, Ringbone, etc. 

Extracting teeth 333 

" wolf teeth 344 

Eye, what indicating 51 

" its examination 51, 464 

" unsound 114 

" anatomy of 173 

" parts and functions 174 

" yellow, in jaundice 367 

" in lockjaw 457 

" diseases of 458 

" glass 460 

" spots on 462, 463 

" cataracton 462 

Eye opener 465 

" in giving chloroform 479 

Eyelashes, turning in 458 

" " out 459 

Eyelids torn 458 

" warts on 458 

Faeces, nature's disposal of 186 

Falling of the womb 396 

False quarter - 252 

" " as unsoundness 114 

" joints 230 

" " treatment of 231 

" open joint 300 

" labor pains 396 

Farcy 443 

" identity with glanders 443 

Farrier versus blacksmith 280 

Farmer, his study of horse 144 

" as veterinary operator 477 

Fat versus muscle 152 

" horses 118 

" " azoturea in 374 

Fatty liver 366 

" degeneration of heart 432 

Fecundity of mange insect 471 

Feed of mule versus horse 140, 141 

" in fractured jaw 236 

Feet, impoi-tance of sound.. 165, 167, 261 

" diseases, etc 244 

" fever in 2.-)4, 277 

" hind and fore, compared 279 



600 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK, 



Page. 

Feet, over-reduced 285 

" over-grown 287, 298 

" straight 287 

' • care of feet in stable 298 

" " " " at grass 299 

" stopping, folly of 298 

See Foot, Shoeing, etc. 

Fetlock, hones of 264 

" deformed 308 

" spi'ained 314 

Fever in the feet 254 

" " " " hoof after 277 

" lung 420 

" pulse as sign of 429 

" temperature as sign of 431 

" brain 452 

" mud 468 

Firing 488 

" irons 488 

" with a wire 250 

' ' in lines 488 

" in points 488 

Filaria oculi 459 

Fistula of withers 219 

" " " to prevent 467 

" foot 249 

Fitting of shoe, the true test 263 

" preliminaries to 282 

" outline, not important 283 

" what is good 294 

" cold and hot 296 

Fleam 202 

Fleas 472 

Flemish horse, the 43 

Flooding 395 

Floor, height of stable 130 

Flora Temple 517 

Fly-blown, to prevent 473, 474 

Fly muscle, the 156 

Foal, care at birth 407 

" difficulties at birth 409 

" born dead 410 

Foaling, emptying bladder before.. 376 

" false labor pains 396 

" signs of approaching 403 

" mare at 406 

See Parturition. 

Foals, rheumatic 303 

" knuckling in 308 

" choking.... 315 



Page. 

Foals, dyspepsia 348, 349 

hernia 362, 363 

Fodder, use at South 213 

Foetus See Abortion'. 

" to determine age of 394 

" expulsion at birth 404 

" dead 410 

See Parturition. 

Food for young animals — 82 

" boltingthe 348 

Foods, perfect 82 

how to know sound 84 

artificial • 86 

condimental 86 

Foot, fistula of 249 

horny tumor of 257 

structure 264 

bones of 265 

tendons, etc., of 266 

cartilages of 267 

cushions of 267 

the sensitive 269 

sole of 271 

relation of its parts 274 

part that first touches ground. 278 

not elastic 278 

and leg, relative position. .278, 286 

form and bearing 279 

preparing it for shoeing.. 2S0, 283 

bearing surface 281 

advantages of strong 286 

securing a proportionate 287 

sides should be even 288 

See Feet, Hoof, Nerving, Shoeing, etc. 

Forage, green, as food.. 85 

Force in training ... 96" 

Forceps for tooth -pulling 333 

" " lithotomy 377 

" " crushing, in lithotomy- 378 

" torsion 400 

" veterinarian's •• 434 

Fore-quarters 52 

Fore-leg, bones of 146 

'" fractures of 240 

" securing 480 

Forging, or clicking 248 

Form and proportion 62 

Founder of feet 254 

" chest 257 

Fractures, causes 228 



INDEX. 



601 



Page. 

Fractures, kinds ^. . 229 

" compound, treatment... . 231 

;S'ee Broken. 

Frame, in lieu of slings 233 

Frame-work, horse's 146, 149 

French draft horses 44, 45 

" coach " 38,45 

Frog of the foot 166 

" disease from its disuse 227, 250 

" p-roper, the 268 

" structure of 272 

" nature and uses 273 

" bearing of 279 

" should not be pared 285 

See Canker, Grease, etc. 

Funnel and hose, use of, in clear- \oro 
ing the bowels J 

Gad-fly 347, 473 

" sting of.... 497 

Gaits in combination, records 550 

Gallop, hand 76 

" true, analysed 76 

" pictorial misrepresentations 78 

" change of leg in 79 

" length of stride 79 

Galls 467 

Ganglia 172 

Gangrene 199 

Gastric fluid 183 

Gelding See Castration. 

General inflammation 1 93 

" " treatment of... 201 

Generation, Stonehenge's laws of . . . 63 

" male organs of 190 

" mare's " " 190 

See Breeding, Mare and Stallion. 

Gentling colts 97, 90 

" neglect of, in England. ... 98 

" trotting colts 547 

George Wilkes 511 

German coach horses 45 

Gestation, seven periods of 394 

Gland, defined 179 

Glanders 443 

" how to know 206,444 

Glands of the skin 94, 152, 156 

" " mouth and throat 179 

" mesenteric 186 

" mammary 192 



Page. 
Glands, swollen 344 

" "■ as unsoundness 116 

See Farcj^ Glanders, Strangles, etc. 

Glass eye 460 

Gleet, nasal 206 

Gnats, sting of 497 

" buffalo 498 

Going wide, as unsoundness 116 

Gold Dust horses 53 

Goldsmith Maid 520 

Goodenough shoes ; 296 

Governor Sprague 51 5 

Grabbing See Over-reaching. 

Granulation of wounds 327 

Grapes of grease 475 

Grass, horse's feet when at 299 

" founder 254 

" staggers 349 

Gravel in bladder 376 

Grease 474 

" as unsoundness 115 

Greedy feeders, to regulate 424 

Green forage food 85 

" " " staggers from 349 

Grinders 3.30, 334, 336 

Gristle, structure of 151 

Groggy lameness 257 

Grooming 88, 92, 93 

" misuse of water in 89, 92 

" nervous animals 93 

'• when to defer 94 

Grooved director 197 

Grunters 416 

Gullet 178, 180 

Gunshot wounds 323 

Gunther's operation 417 

Gypsum as deodorizer 89 

Hackney, the 35 

Hair, structure and uses of 158 

•' shedding 158 

" as index of health 158 

Hair-balls 359 

Hal Pointer 561 

Halter, putting on colts 99 

" Karey's favorite Ill 

Hambletonian ,54^ 509 

Ham-string muscles 243 

Hand gallop 76 

Handling colts See Gentlinp-. 



602 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Hanoverian coach horses 45 

H. B. Winship and mate 552 

Harness, washing, for mange 471 

' ' breaking to 548 

Haunch, hones of 147 

Hay, to know good 85 

Head, the 51 

" object lessons on 119 

" bones of 147, 167 

" big (disease) 209 

" staggers 452 

Healing wounds, Nature''s modes. • . 326 

Health, the hair as index to 158 

" blood and... 159 

" pulse in 431 

" temperature in 431 

Heart 1 62, 1 64 

" and pulse 165, 429 

'■ affected in diabetes, etc 371, 470 

" diseases 428 

" foreign bodies in 431 

" hypertrophy 432 

" atrophy 432 

*' fatty degeneration 432 

" valvular disease 432 

" tumors in 433 

" rupture of 433 

Heartburn 348, 476 

Heat, sign of inflammation 194 

" animal, how produced 195 

See Temperature. 

Heat races, records 564 

Heaves 422 

Heel, contracted 250 

" lowering 284, 287 

" opening 284 

" not weakest part 294 

" cracked 466 

8ee Hoof. 

Hellebore, white 493 

" black 493 

" antidotes 493 

Hemlock poisoning 494 

Hemoglobinuria 374 

Hemorrhage after castration 388 

" of womb 395 

" nasal 413 

See Bleeding. 

Hemorrhoids 361 

Hepatitis 365, 366 



Page. 

HerediJty 01, 63, 65 

maternal 139, 512 

of spavins 223 

" ringbone 225 

" navicular disease... 257, 259 

' ' roaring 416 

" whistling 416 

" broken wind 423 

" heaves 423 

' ' weak eyes 461 

" grease 474 

Hernia 362 

" test for 363 

" to know from hydrocele 381 

" " " " orchitis 381 

" after castration 388 

Hide-bound 157, 475 

" what it is 476 

Hind quarters 52 

" " object lessons 122 

" leg, bones of 147 

" " fractui'es 244 

" " sprains 314 

Hip, bones of 147 

" fracture 239 

' ' sprained 314 

Hipped, as unsoundness 115 

Hobbles 479 

Hock, structure of 220 

" lameness 222 

" examination 223 

" rough 223 

" broken 2-J3 

" capped 317 

«' curbed 318 

Hoof, contraction of 116, 250 

" bars of 166, 270 

'• bones 1J6, 166 

" structure 166, 275 

" cracked 251 

" false quarter 252 

" wall, or crust 269 

'• mutual relation of parts 273 

" growth 275 

" decay 277 

" changes from bad shoeing 281 

" preparing for shoeing 281, 283 

" knives 284 

See Feet, Foot, Shoeing, etc. 
Hooks, obstetric 410 



INDEX. 



608 



Page. 

Horn, of hoof 275 

" imperfect 252 

" growth 275 

" decay 277 

•' drenching 266 

Hornets, sting of 497 

Horny tumors of the foot 257 

Horse, his attitude in standing 67 

" mode of progression 67 

" should be kept comfortable. 94 

" care of exhausted 94 

" Arab versMs Indian 97 

" his language 99 

" the fat 118 

" trading, honesty in 118 

" ve7^sus mule 138, 139, 141 

" as a subject for study 144 

" his skeleton 146 

" care of feet in stable 298 

" " " at grass 299 

" free from liver complaints.. . 364 
" pox 447 

Horses for labor, kinds 33 

" British and American 33 

" hunting 34 

" carriage 35 

" French Coach 38, 45 

" Cleveland Bay 38 

'« Shire 39 

«' Suffolk Punch 41 

" Clydesdale 41 

" English Cart-horse 42 

" Flemish 43 

" Conestoga 43 

" French Draft 44 

" Norman 44,45 

" Norman-Percherou 45 

" Hanoverian Coach 45 

" German Coach 45 

" thoroughbred 46 

" trotting 52 

" Mustang 53 

" pacing 53, 95. 554 

" Morgan 53 

" washy 356 

" white-legged 474 

" poisoned, in revenge 490 

Hunler, the 34 

'• shoes for 292 

Hybrids, infertility of 137, 139 



Page. 

Hydrocele 381 

Hydrophobia 448 

Hydrothorax 425 

Hygiene, important to understand, 81, 94 

Hypertrophy of the heart 432 

Ilium 185 

In-and-in-breeding 65 

Incised wounds 322 

Incisors 330, 333, 334 

Indian horse versus the Arab 97 

Indigestion 348 

" unsoundness from 116 

" from worms 360 

Indurated cord 388 

Inflamed periosteum 15], 203 

" joint.... 300 

Inflammation, why correct knowl- 1 -loo 
edge of it so important J 

" kinds defined 193 

" causes 194 

" symptoms 194 

" results 196, 309 

" healthful termination .. . 196 

" treatment of local ... 200 

" " " general 201 

" of a bone, etc.... 203 

" sweeny from 309 

" " of cellular tissues 320 

" " stomach versus bots. . . 347 

" " bowels 354 

" " liver 365 

" " kidneys 369 

" " bladder 375 

" do. to discriminate. ..370, 375 

" of testicle 381 

" " womb 391 

" " udder 402 

" " bronchial tubes 418 

•' <' lungs 420 

" '« pleura 425 

" " pericardium 433 

" " jugular veiu 435 

" " conjunctiva 460 

Influenza 438 

Inhaler, chloroform 478 

Insects, poisonous 489, 496 

Instruments, obstetric 409 

'' veterinary, for farmers, 477 

Internal poisons 490 



fi04 



THE AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Interstitial deposits 199 

Intestines, anatomy of 183 

" small 184 

" large 184 

'' diseases of 351 

" concretions 39 

Inversion of uterus 396 

Involuntary muscles 151 

" motion, nerves of 172 

Iodine, tincture of, uses 201 

Iris of the eye 175 

Irons, balling 367, 436 

'' tiring 488 

Itching, as symptoms 467, 470, 472 

Ivy, meadow, poisonous 494 

Jacks, Washington's 138 

" South their home 138 

" breeding of 142 

Jaundice 187, 367 

Jaw, lumpy 207 

' ' fracture cf upper 235 

" " " lower 236 

Jay -Eye-See 525 

Jejunum 185 

Jennets 138 

Johnston 557 

Jog trot, the 73 

" bad for trotters 550 

Joint, navicular 266 

" oil...... 301 

Joints, false 2.30 

" " treatment 231 

" inflamed 300 

" open 300 

" " how to know 301 

" false open 301 

" rheumatic 302 

Judging animals, accuracy in 59 

See Standard and Examination. 

Jugular pulse 431 

" vein, to bleed from 202 

" '< inflammation 435 

Keratoma 257 

Kernel of teeth 334 

Kicking, as vice 116 

Kidneys, structure ISS 

" functions 188 

" diseases of 369 



Page. 

Kidneys, inflammation of 369 

" " to distinguish... 370 

Kindness to stock pays 87 

'• in training 96, 97 

" versus cruelty in stable 99 

Kite tracks, records on 565, 568 

Klippart, J. H., on the Percheron.. 44 

Knee, broken 241 

" cap, broken 242 

Knee-sprung 113, 308 

Knees, capped 114 

Knife, sage 245 

" toeing 283 

" hoof 284 

" castrating 384 

" docking 481 

" nicking 483 

" for nerving 484 

Knives — See Bistoury and Instruments. 

Knitting of broken bones 229 

Knuckling 113, 308 

Labor, horses for, kinds 33 

" mule versus horse, for 140 

" premature See Abortion. 

" pains, false , 396 

See Parturition. 

Lacerated wounds. 322 

Lady Suffolk 516 

Lameness, from bone inflammation. . 203 

" of big head 210 

" from spavins 222 

" hock 222 

" from splints 225 

" " ringbones 226 

" " sidebones 227 

" " nail wounds 245 

" of corns 246 

" "bruised sole 247 

" " quittor 249 

" " contracted hoof 250 

" " false quarter 252 

'• "founder 255 

" " foot tumors 257 

" groggy 2r)7 

" from navicular disease. . - 258 

" " bad shoeing 261 

" " open joints 301 

" " rheumatism 302 

of stifle 304 



INDEX. 



605 



Page. 

Lameuess of bog spaviu 305 

" " cramps 311 

" shoulder 312 

" elbow 313 

" from sprained tendons. . . 313 

" " " fetlock.... 314 

" " '• hind leg... 3U 

" " " stifle 315 

" of sweeny 315 

" from inflammation of \ ooa 

cellular tissue j 

*' of jaundice 367 

'* " azoturea 374 

" " equine syphilis 401 

" " rheumatism 440 

" " scratches.... 442 

" " erysipelas 469 

Laminitis, or founder 254 

Lampas 342 

Language of animals 99 

Laryngeal paralysis 416 

Laryngitis 414 

Larynx 178 

" inflammation of 414 

Laurel poisoning 492 

Lead, teaching colts to 100 

Leap, not a gallop 76 

Leg, tendons of 313 

" hind, sprains of 314 

" swelled 319, 449 

' ' fore, securing 480 

Legs, hind, object lessons on.. . 123, 124 

" " fracture of 244 

" fore, " " 124,126, 240 

" flexor tendons of 167 

" broken 230 

" " not hopeless 231 

'■ " of horse "are the horse" 261 

" and feet, relationship of. . . 278, 286 

Leucorrhoea 390 

Lice 472 

Licking off gad-fly eggs 347 

" walls, etc 248, 476 

" habit of 359 

Life, its harmonious functions 194 

Ligature, castrating with 385 

Light for stables 132 

' ' in model barn 136 

Limbs, fore, good and bad. .123, 124, 126 
" " fractures of 240 



Page. 

Limbs, hind, good and bad 124 

" faulty, a bad investment... .. 126 

" broken 230 

" " not hopeless 231 

" and feet, relationship of.. 278, 286 

" tendons of 313 

" hind, sprains of 314 

Ligaments of the foot 266 

Liniments, stimulating 200 

" turpentine for 491 

Linings of stomach 182 

" " intestines 183 

Lips, paralysis of 454 

Lithotomy 377 

Little Brown Jug 555 

Liver, structure, etc 186 

" diseases of 364 

" functions 364 

" changes of structure 365 

Local inflammation 193 

" treatment 200 

Lockjaw 456 

" from nail wounds 244 

" " poisoned wounds 323 

" " castration 388 

Loco-weed 492 

Longevity of the mule 139 

Louvre boards for stables 130 

Low action as unsoundness 116 

" " from splints 225 

Lump of warbles 473 

Lumpy jaw 207 

Lung fever 420 

Lungs 163, 176 

" structure of 177 

" diseases of 418 

" inflammation of 420 

" emphysema 422 

See Breathing, Respiration, etc. 

Lymph and its uses 199 

Lymphangitis 449 

Mad staggers 452 

" dog, bite of 448 

Maggots 474 

Malpresentatious 406 

" correcting 409 

" " instruments for 410 

Mambrino Chief 512 

'• Patchen 512 



606 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Mammary glands 192 

Mammitis 402 

Mange 469 

" insect 471 

Mare, generative organs 190 

" hernia 363 

" diseases peculiar to 390 

" and cow compared. . .396, 402, 408 

" constantly in season 398 

" equine syptiilis 401 

" signs of foaling 403 

" care at foaling 406 

" in creating the trotter 512 

Marlfs of age, teeth as 333 

Marrow, the 150 

Maud S 526 

Manures, stable 88, 89 

Maxey Cobb 534 

Meadow ivy, poisonous 494 

Medicines, caution 489 

Melanosis 449 

Membranes, the 153 

" t'aeir nomenclature 154 

" and nerves 171 

Mesentery and glands 186 

Messenger 54, 509 

Metritis 391 

Midriff See Diaphragm. 

Milk teeth 331, 335 

" flow, in spayed cow 399 

Milt, or spleen 1 88 

" enlargement of 368 

Mississippi Valley, big head in 211 

" " its climate 411 

" " " snakes 495 

" lower, buffalo gnats of.. 498 

Molars, See Grinders. 

Monday morning disease 449 

Moon blindness 461 

Mortification of a part 199 

" of a bone 205 

Mosquitoes, sting of 497 

Mouth, glands of 179 

" feverish 329, 331 

" parrot 341 

" diseases of 342 

" bars of 342 

" speculum 413 

Mucous membranes 153 

Mud fever 468 



Page. 

Mule, defined 139 

" loves warmth 138 

" longevity 139 

" value for labor 139 

" amount of feed 1 40, 141 

" is not vicious 141 

" colts training 143 

" healthier than horse 141 

" not exempt from disease 142 

" breeding 139, 142 

Muscle versus fat 152 

" fly 156 

Muscles, functions and structure.. . . 151 

" voluntary 151 

" involuntary 151 

" limited sensibility 152 

" ham-string 243 

" diseases of 309 

" wasting away of 309 

" broken 310 

" cut 310 

" cramp of 311 

" of tail 482 

Mustang 53 

Muzzle, a simple 424 

Nailing on of shoes 292 

Nails for horse-shoes 292 

Nail wouuds 244 

Nancy Hanks 545 

" her stride 80 

Nasal gleet 206, 412, 444 

" polypus 412 

" hemorrhage 413 

Navicular disease 257 

" joint 266 

Neck, the 51 

" oliject lessons on 119 

" bones 147, 148 

" anatomy 169 

" cradle 316 

" bandaging 346, 468 

" swollen ''"''^1 ^^^'i^^^iy- 

\ strangles, etc. 

" of bladder, spasm of 372 

Necrosis of a bone 205 

Needles, seton 312 

" veterinarj^ 325 

" holder for 326 

Nelson 537 



INDEX. 



607 



Page. 

Nephritis 369 

Nerves 171 

" of sensation 171 

" " involuntary motion 172 

" spinal cord and ganglia 172 

Nerving 483 

" high 484 

" low 484 

" knife for 484 

" unsoundness after 115 

Nervous system 170, 171 

" " depressed 194 

" " diseases of 452 

Neurotomy 483 

" unsoundness after 115 

Nicking 482 

" knife 483 

Nightshade, deadly 493 

Nippers, or incisors 330, 333, 335 

Norman horses 44, 83 

Norman Percherons 45 

Nose, diseases of 411 

" bleed 413 

Nostrils ] 78 

Nutrition 82, 162 

" defective from worms 361 

See Stomach and Intestines. 
Nymphomania 398 

Oak, poison 494 

Oats, how to know good 84 

Object lessons on conformation 119 

Obstetric instruments 409 

CEsophagotomy 3-15 

CEsophagus See Gullet. 

Oil, joint 301 

" administering 366 

" croton, its danger. 492 

Open joints 300 

" " false 301 

" " how to know 301 

Operator, farmer as 477 

Operating table 480 

Operation, standing, in castrating.. 383 
" lying down, in castrating 384 

" of spaying 398 

" Gunther's 417 

' ' securing for 479 

" " " minor 480 

See Chloroform, Castration, etc. 



Page. 

Operations, special 477 

" farmer performing 477 

" two kinds in nerving. . . 483 

Opium poisoning 493 

Opthalmia, periodic 461 

Optic nerve 174 

Orchitis 381 

" to know from hydrocele... 381 

Organization defined 209, 435 

Osteophytes defined 585 

Ovaries of mare 191 

" extirpating 398 

Over-reaching 248 

" as unsoundness 116 

Oxygenization of the blood 163, 177 

Pacing horse 53, 95, 552 

" his speed victory 552 

" champion records 568 

Pack mules. 140 

" " breeding 142 

Paddling action 117 

Pain as sign of inflammation 195 

Palo Alto 540 

Palsy 453 

Pancreas 187 

Paps, or barbs 344 

Paralysis, or palsy 453 

'* a,s unsoundness 116 

" from fractured spiue 238 

" or azoturea 374 

" from equine syphilis 401 

" laryngeal 416 

" complete 453 

" partial 453 

" of lips and tongue 454 

Paring foot, its abuses 262, 285 

Parrot moutb 841 

Parturition, signs of approaching... 403 

'• natural stages in 403 

" presentation in 405 

" difficult 408, 409 

" do. in mare and co\v\ .„„ 

compared / ^ 

" do. due to mare 409 

" do. " " foul 409 

See Foal and i\Iare etc. 

Pasterns, straight 265 

" sloping 265 

Pasteur's inoculation 44s 

Patella, dislocation of 303 



608 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page' 

Paving of stables 130 

Pelvis, fractures of 239 

Pen rail, in lieu of slings 234 

Penis, anatomy of 190 

'< injury of 379 

" tumor on 380 

" amputating 380 

Percheron, the 44, 57 

Percussion defined 419 

Perfect foods 82 

Peri, prefix, its meaning 153 

Pericardium 433 

Pericarditis • 433 

Perineum • 192 

" rupture of 390 

Periodic opthalmia 461 

Periosteotomy 486 

Periosteum 151 

" inflammation of 203 

Peritonitis 388 

Peritoneum 186 

Perspiration 94, 157 

Phallas 531 

Pharynx 180 

Phlebitis 435 

Pikes 344 

Piles 361 

Pills, administering 367, 368 

Pilot 509, 513 

Pink-eye 438 

Pipes of poll evil 218 • 

" " fistula 219 

" " quittor 249 

Placenta See After-birth, 

Plantar cushion of foot 268 

Plantation ill-usage of horse 214 

Pleura • 177 

" inflammation of 425 

Pleurisy 425 

" from broken ribs 239 

Pneumonia 420 

yS'ee Lungs, etc. 

Pointing of abscess 197 

" " boils 437 

Points of the thoroughbred 48 

" " " draft horse 49 

" judging of 58, 61 

" form and proportion 62 

" are many 62 

Poisoned wounds 323 



Page. 

Poisoning 489 

" blood 449 

Poison oak 494 

" vines .494 

Poisons 489 

" slow^ action of some 489 

" internal 490 

Poisonous herbs . 490 

" insects ..490, 496 

" serpents 490, 494 

" plants 492, 494 

" preparations from plants. 493 

Poll evil 218 

Polypus in the nostril 412 

Pores of the skin 157 

Potato bug, sting of 497 

Poultices 200 

Poultice for throat 415 

Pox, horse 447 

Practical, the, in veterinay scieqce. 81 

Poultry lousiness 472 

Presentations in foaling 405, 409 

Prevention of disease 82 

Probang 345 

Progression, horse's mode 07 

" in the walk . 69 

Pulse 165, 429 

" in health 431 

" where to find in horse 429 

" quick 429 

" slow '.. 430 

" long.. 430 

" infrequent 430 

" volume of 430 

" feeble 430 

" small 430 

" hard 430 

" soft 430 

" full 430 

" large.. 430 

' ' gaseous 430 

" corded 430 

" wiry 430 

" thready 430 

" venous 431 

" jugular 431 

" in giving chloroform 478,479 

Pulmonary circulation 161 

" oxygenizution of blood . . 163 

Pummiced sole • 113 



INDEX. 



609 



Page. 

Puuctured wouuds 322 

Pupil of the eye 175 

Purgatives, use of 202 

" to deplete system 37-1 

Purpura hemorrtiagica 441 

Pus, burrowing of 198 

' ' of nasal gleet 206 

See Suppuration. 

"Putting back" big head 212 

Pyaimia 449 

Quick, the, or sensitive foot 269 

Quittor 249 

Kabies 448 

Races, running 564 

" heat, records. 564 

" trotting, champion table 565 

"- pacing, <' " .... 568- 

Rail pen, in lieu of slings 234 

Rasping, bad 275, 2S2 

" foot.... ,281, 283,288,296 

" tooth .340 

Rarey, John S Ill 

" " his favorite halter Ill 

" " his method described.. 101 

Rarus 523 

Rattlesnake bites 495 

Rearing, vice of 116 

Recapitulation of remedies . 499 

Records, running 564 

" champion 565 

" on regulation track 565, 568 

" on kite track 565,568 

Rectum 186 

" exploring in vari- -1 

ous diagnoses... /^'"' ^'^^o// 

Redness as sign of inflammation 196 

Regulation track, records on 565 

Remedies, recapitulation of 499 

Resolution of inflammation 196 

Respiration 176 

See Breathing. 

Respiratory organs 176, 178 

" " diseases of 411 

Retention of urine 372, 376 

" " placenta 410 

Retina of the eye 174 

Rheumatic joints 302 

Rheumatism 440 



Page. 
Rheumatism, simulated by navic- \ „_ 

ular disease j ^^ 

Ribs, horse's J48 

" broken 238 

Ridgling, castrating the 386 

Ringbones 225 

Ringworm 457 

Soaring 41^ 

" as unsoundness 115 

' ' from nasal polypus 413 

Rosin, dangers of 375 

Rough hocks 223 

Roughing, ill effects of 298 

Rubefacients 491 

Running away, vice of \\q 

" sumach (poison) 494 

" records 554 

Rupture of stomach 350 

" " bowels (colic) 350 

" " " (hernia) 362 

" " bladder 376 

" " perineum 390 

" " heart 433 

" " aneurism 434 

Russian substitute for castration 386 

Saddle galls 457 

" horses 95 

" " for ladies 76,79 

Sage knife 245 

Saliva, its quantity 179 

Salivary glands 179 

Saltpetre, danger of 375, 491 

Sand-crack 251 

" as unsoundness 114 

"Santa Fe," or centipede 496 

Sarcoeele 339 

Scabbing of wounds 327 

Scalds 328 

Scarf-skin 154 

Scarification for lampas 343 

" of swollen penis 379 

Scirrhus cord 339 

Science not unpractical 81 

Scorpions, stinging 496 

Scraping, castration by 385 

Scratches 466 

Scrotal hernia 362, 363 

" to know, from orchitis 381 

" " " '' hydrocele ... 3Sl 



610 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Pagk. 

Secretion defined 179 

Sedatives, use of 202 

Seeds See Testicles ayid Castration. 

Selling, directions for 118 

See Buying. 

Sensation, nerves of 171 

" of sight, how produced. . . 174 

Sensitive foot 269 

Serous membrane 153 

" " its iusensibilitj^. .. 154 

Setting a bi oken leg 230 

Setous 312,487 

Sewing wounds 324 

Sliank, bones of 264 

Sheath, keeping clean 379, 380 

" swelling after castration 388 

Shedding the hair 158 

" " teeth 331 

Sheltering stock, importance 82 

" '" economy of 87 

Shins, sore 204 

Shire horses 39 

Shoe, good, its features 288 

" its foot surface 289, 295 

" " ground surface 290 

" seated 289 

" flat 289 

" Charlier 296 

" calkins 290 

" claws 290 

" clips 292 

" for carriage horses 291 

" " hunters 292 

" " horse at grass 299 

" " colts in training 550 

" nails for 292 

" nailing on 292 

" preliminary fitting 293 

" outline fitting 293 

" surface '' 294 

" putting it on 295 

" cold fitting 296 

'' hot " 296 

" Goodenough 296 

See Shoeing. 

Shoe-boil 316 

Shoeing a necessary evil 260 

" its principles 260 

" ^ alencl^".'^!' } '^^^^ 2^^' ^^*' ^^^ 



Page. 

Shoeing, bad, lameness from. 261 , 262, 274 

" " changes in foot from.. 281 

" " cutting from 288 

" " to prevent evil 294 

" good, fit the test of 263 

" art of 280 

" W. Hunting on 261 

" two-fold object 262 

" preparing foot for 280 

" Charlier system 296 

" leather soles, etc., injurious. 297 

" proper intervals for 298 

" of colts in ti'ainiug 550 

Shoulder-blade, its fracture 240 

Shoulder-slip 315 

Shoulders, oblique 52 

" upright 52 

" defective 113 

" object lesson on 122 

" bones of 147 

" sprained 312 

" swollen, in azoturea 374 

" sore 467 

Shying as unsoundness 115 

" '' vice - 116 

Side-bones 227, 267 

Side lines for casting 384 

" rod 441 

Sight, how produced 174 

Signals, use in training 100 

Sinuses in skull 148 

Size of new-born animals 395 

" " colt at one and two j'ears 547 

Skeleton, horse's 146, 149 

Skin, horse's 93 

' ' cleanliness of 93 

" glands of 9-1, 152 

" structure of 154 

" appendages and functions 156 

" how oiled and suppled 157 

" pores of 157 

'* diseases of 466 

' ' in erysipelas 469 

Six Hide-bound. 

Skittishness, when a vice 116 

Skull, bones of 147 

" and brain 167 

" fracture of 235 

Sleepy staggers 453 

Slings, etc 231 



INDEX. 



Bll 



Page. 

Slings, simpler form 375 

Small-pox, relation to horse-pox. .. 447 

Smuggler 531 

Snake-bites 494 

Sneeze-weed poisoning 494 

Sole, pummiced 113 

•' bruises of 247 

" structure and uses 271 

" bearing of 279 

" should not be pared 284 

" diseases of. /S'ee Thrush, Canker, etc. 

" of leather not advisable 297 

Sore shins 204 

Soundness, its technical meaning... 113 
" " popular " ... 113 

See Unsoundness, Examination, etc. 

Soups as food for horse 86 

South- ihe jack's own home 138 

" " mules at 138 

breeding of mules at 143 

" big head at 211, 214 

" ill-usage of stock at 213 

Spanish flies, as poison 490 

" " blister, caution 369 

Spasm of bladder 376 

" " neck of bladder 372 

" " diaphragm 436 

Spavin, bone 220 

" bog 305 

" blood 306 

Spavins are hereditary 222 

" as unsoundness 115 

Spaying 398 

" cow for beef , etc 399 

" through flank 399 

" " vagina 400 

" for nyphomania 398 

Speculum, mouth 413 

'• vaginal 391,396 

Speed, essentials to 62 

" rate of, in walk 72 

" training for 550 

Spinal cord 172 

Spine, bones of 148 

" fracture of 238 

Spiders, venomous 495 

Spleen 188 

" enlargement of 368 

Splint-bones 264 

Splints (disease) 224 



Page. 

Splints, as unsoundness 224 

" in bone-setting 230 

«' iron, " 242 

Sprained shoulder 312 

" elbow 313 

" tendons 313, 319 

" fetlock 314 

" hind leg 314 

" hip 314 

" stifle.... 315 

Spring-halt 456 

" as unsoundness 115 

Stables, hygiene in 82, 253, 444, 474 

Stable, cleanliness in 89 

'• construction of 127 

" in a model barn .. 135 

'' temperature of 94 

" ventilation in 129, 130 

" paving for 130 

" floor of, height 130 

" construction of stalls.. 131 

" site of 131,370 

" light in... 132 

" draining 131 

" care of feet in 298 

" for foaling..'. 407 

Staggers, stomach 349, 452 

>' blind 349 

" grass 319 

" head 452 

" mad 452 

" sleepy 453 

Stallion, generative organs of 190 

" colic in, caution 362 

" hernia in 3G2, 363 

" debilityof, and abortion 392 

" equine syphilis of 400 

" kings 530 

Stalls, slope of 131 

" cattle 135 

" washing, for mange 471 

Standard of excellence is variant. 49, 61, 62 

" for judging horse SO 

" of perfection is too high... 125 

Standing over See Knuckling. 

Staphyloma 459 

Steaming-bag 412 

Stewart, Dr. K., on big head 211 

" on building the frame. . . 233 

" on building the rail-pen . . . 234 



612 



THE AMERICAN FARMER S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Stiff joint See Ankylosis, Spavin, etc. 

Stifle, sprained 315 

" joint, dislocation - 303. 

Stimulants, their uses 202 

Stimulating liniments 200 

Sting by snakes 494 

" " spiders, etc 495 

" " centipede 496 

" " scorpion 496 

" " hornets, etc 497 

" " wasps 497 

" '• gnats 497 

" " gad-flies 497 

" " potato bug 497 

" " buffalo gnats 49S 

St. Julien 524 

Stocks 480 

Stomach, horse's 84, 181 

" " size, etc 303 

" " anatomy 182 

" " functions 346 

" ■ " peculiarity 346 

" " bots in 347 

" " staggers 349 

" " rupture of.. 350 

Stone in bladder. 373, 375, 376 

" " " test for 377 

Stoppage of bowels- . . See Constipation. 

" " urine 372 

Stopping, vice of 117 

" the feet, its folly 298 

Straddling action 117 

Strangles 445 

" as unsoundness 113 

Straps, theRarey 102, 111 

Straw as food 85 

" " bedding 85 

Stricture of intestines 183 

" " urinary passage 372 

Stride, its length in gallop 79 

" Nancy Hanks' 80 

String-halt See Spring-halt. 

Stud See Stallion. 

" book, English 662 

" " American 562 

Stumbling 124 

" as unsoundness 116 

Sudden death from liver disease. 365, 366 

" " " heart " .... 429 

Suffocation from polypus. 413 



Page. 

Suffolk Punch horses 41 

Sumach, running, poisoning by 494 

Sunol 528 

Supporter, testicle 381 ' 

Suppuration, process of 197 

6'eePus. 

Sutures, kinds, etc 324 

Sway back in horses 121 

S ween jr defined 309 

'• of shoulder 315 

Sweet-bread 187 

Swelled glands 344, 412 

" " as unsoundness 116 

See Farcy, Glanders, Strangles, etc. 

" legs ...319,449 

" head 209, 441, 445 

" ankles 321 

Swelling, sign of inflammation 196 

" of hernia ....362,363 

" " shoulders and loins in \ o-. 

azoturea / 

" " penis 379 

" . " sheath after gelding 388 

" of ei'ysipelas 469 

See Swelled. 

Switching of tail, sign of piles 361 

" " " " '• abortion.. 393 

Sympathetic nerves 172 

Synovia, or joint oil 301 

Syphilis, equine 400 

Syringe, substitute for 324 

Table, operating 480 

" champion (racing) 565 

Tail, graceful 123 

" bones in, 148, 480 

" switching, sign of piles 361 

" " " abortion 393 

" muscles of 482 

' ' to correct crooked 483 

See Docking and Nicking. 

Taming horses, special methods 100 

'' Rarey method 101 

Tape-worm 360 

Tapping, or percussion 419 

•■ for blind staggers 350 

" '• wind colic 354 

" '> hydrocele 382 

" hydrothorax 427 

" the chest 427 



INDEX. 



()13 



Page. 

Tarimtula bites 495 

Tartar emetic poisoning 492 

Teats See Udder. 

Teeth, tlie 147, 330 

•' diseases of 329 

'• blind, or wolf 330, 344 

>' shedding 331 

" decayed 332 

" extracting 333 

"• as index of age 334 

" permanent 335 

" effects of corn diet 337 

" of crib biters 337 

'• irregular 340 

" constant change in 342 

See Tooth. 

Teething 330 

often painful 329, 331 

Temperature in health 431 

" as sign of fever 431 

" of stable 94 

Tendons 153 

" none in involuntary muscles. 151 

" flexor of leg 167 

" of the foot 266 

" diseases of 309 

" contracted 319 

" " operation for 486 

Tenotomy 486 

Testicles, anatomy of 190 

" inflammation 381 

" supporter for 381 

" dropsy of. 381 

" retention in abdomen 386 

See Castration. 

Tetanus. See Lockjaw. 

Thermometer, clinical 431 

'' " its use 195 

Thick leg 449 

Thigh, broken 242 

Thirst, mixtures to relieve 371 

Thoroughbred, the 47, 57 

" outline and points. . 48 

" in breeding trotter. . 508 

' ^ American 562 

Thorough-pin 306 

Threads for veterinary use 325 

Throat, glands of 1 79 

" bandage 415 

" poultice 415 

See Larynx, Wind-pipe, Gullet, etc. 



Page. 

Throwing See Casting. 

Thrush 252 

" as unsoundness 115 

Thumps 436 

Ticks 473 

Tobacco water for mange, etc.. .472, 473 

" smoke for mosquitoes 497 

Toe turned up (neurotomy) 487 

Toeing-knif e 283 

Tongue, paralysis of 454 

" test for antesthesia 479 

Tooth-ache 332 

" cutters 341 

" pullers, old time 212 

" rasp.. 340 

Torn eyelids 458 

Torsion, castration by 386 

" forceps 400 

Trachea. See Wind-pipe. 

Tracheotomy 417 

Track, regulation, records 565, 568 

" kite, records 565, 568 

Trading, horse, honesty in 118 

See Buying, Examination, etc. 

Training, use of force in 96 

" must teach subserviency.. 97 

" should begin young. 97, 547 

" whip in 98 

" of colts 99 

" of mule colts 143 

" use of voice in 100 

" " <' signals in 100 

" Karey's three axioms 101 

" young trotter 547 

See Taming and Gentling. 

Travis 480 

Treads 247 

Trepanation 485 

Trephine 486 

Trephining 485 

Trochar and canula 350, 354 

Trot, the 73 

" jog 73 

" good and bad action in 74 

" value of this gait.. 507 

Trotter, as hunting horse 34 

the only American breed.. • 52 

" blood widely diffused 53 

" how bred tip 53. 507 



614 



THE AMERICAN FARMEE S HORSE BOOK. 



Page. 

Trotter, creation of 507 

" early breeding of 508 

" mare in breeding of 512 

" minor families 515 

" educating young 547 

See Records. 

Trotting events to 18nG 54 

" " late 543 

" champion records 566 

Tumors, bone 209 

" cartilage 209 

' ' horny, of foot 257 

" shoe-boil 317 

" of piles 362 

" in urinary passages 374 

" on penis 380 

" nasal 412 

•' in the heart 433 

" soft, of aneurism 434 

" black 449 

" in brain 453 

" trephining to remove 485 

Turf, American, its records. .564, 565, 568 

Turpentine as diuretic 375,491 

" in liniments 491 

Tushes, the 330, 336 

Twisted suture 325 

Twitch 480 

Tying a blood-vessel 435 

Udder of mare 192 

" inflammation 402 

Ulceration of a part 199 

" " bone 204 

Umbilical hernia 362, 363 

Unnerved as unsoundness 115 

Unsoundness, principal forms 113 

Urethra 189, 372 

'• structure of 372, 373 

Urinary organs 188 

" diseases. . 8ee Bladder, Kidneys. 

Urine 188 

" bloody 370, 375 

" dribbling 370 

" excessive flow 371 

" stoppage 372 

" cliocolate 374 

" straining in passing.370, 371 , 372, 377 

" S((uirting 377 

Uterus 191 



Page. 

Uterus, inversion of 396 

See Womb, 

Vagina 191 

Vaginal speculum 391, 396 

Valvular disease of heart 432 

Varicose veins 382 

Variola equina 447 

Vascular defined 269 

Veins 161 

" to stop bleeding from 324 

" varicose 382 

Venomous serpents 495 

" spiders 495 

Venous pulse 431 

Ventilation in stables 29 

" " " its importance.. 94 

" Jouvre-boards for 130 

" in model barn 136 

Ventral hernia 362, 363 

Ventricles of the heart 165 

Vermifuges 361 

Vertebrae See (Spine. 

Vice in horse defined 116 

" principal kinds 116 

" mules free from 141 

Vines, poison 494 

Voice, its use in training 100 

Voluntary muscles 151 

Vomiting, impossible to horse. ..182, 492 
Vulva 192 

Walk, analyzed 68 

" rate of speed 72 

Walkers, good and bad 71 

Wall of hoof 269 

Warbles 473 

Warrantee in buying 112 

" " selling 118 

" form of 112 

" why desirable 118 

Warts on eyelids 458 

Washington's jacks IBS 

Washing stalls, etc., for mange 471 

Washy horses 356 

Wasp stings 497 

Wasting away of muscle 309 

Water, misuse in grooming 89 

" its use and abuse 90 

'' as to chill from drinklno. . .. 90 



INDEX. 



615 



Page. 

Water, horse likes it clean 91 

" how often to 91 

" before feeding 92 

" founder 254 

" on the chest 425 

See Urine. 

Weed leg 449 

Wens 115 

Westmont and mate 552 

Whip, its use in training 98 

Whiskey for snake bites 495 

Whistling 416 

" as unsoundness 115 

White hellebore 493 

Whites 390 

Whitleather 148 

Wild ass 137 

" horses in America 53 

Wind, to test 416 

Wind-broken 177, 422 

" " as unsoundness 115 

Wind-galls 306 

Windows in stable. 129 

Wind-pipe 178 

Wind-puffs = 306 

Wind-sucking as unsoundness 115 

Winter, sheltering in 87 

'• watering in 92 



Page. 

Withers, fistula of 219 

" " " to prevent 467 

Wolf teeth 330, 344 

Womb, anatomy of 191 

" inflammation of 391 

" hemorrhage 395 

" flooding 395 

«' falling of 396 

" in foaling 404 

Worms » 360 

" caution in diagnosing 358 

" tape 360 

" in the eye 459 

Wornils 473 

Wounds, kinds 322 

" as unsoundness 116 

" nail 244 

" causes of 323 

" cleansing 323 

" sewing 324 

" modes of healing 326 

" dressing 327 

" of blood vessels 435 

" treatment to prevent by- 1 ,,o 

drophobia ] **^ 

•' preceding lockjaw 456 

" " erysipelas 469 

" flyblown, to prevent. ..473, 474 
Yellows 187, 367 



'^ 



